Rough Around the Edges
by pyroleigh
Summary: Zelda gets a part time job stocking shelves at a store to appease her parents. What she doesn't expect is for the one rude coworker to be the one she ends up falling for. Can she break through the walls he's so meticulously built and find the man behind them? Modern Zike, in progress, minor swearing. T for now
1. Chapter 1

"It's too early," Zelda whined as she drove down the dark road to her new job. The world was bathed in shades of darkness around her, the streetlights providing very little help on her journey. She wasn't happy about this whole situation, but when her parents insisted she find a job during the semester... there had been few places hiring that even remotely worked with her college classes.

The early morning air was unseasonably warm when she hopped out of her car, the neon lights of the store's sign casting the world in a greenish glow. There was a small group huddled around the front door, with a few others just arriving like she was. Putting on her friendliest smile, Zelda walked over to them. "Are you new?" a way too chipper for five minutes until four in the morning young man asked.

"Yeah, just got hired on Monday," she said and he beamed at her, his dark blue hair hanging low over his eyes looking almost black in the lack of light.

"Awesome! I hope they have you training with me! I'm Marth," he held out a hand and Zelda shook it.

"You know that she's probably going to train in HBA," a blonde woman said as she approached them. "Hi I'm Samus."

"Zelda," she introduced herself and looked at the other gathered faces. Everyone seemed to be a few years older than her, and a few were still showing up. "What's HBA?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not clocked in," Samus said with a laugh. "Don't worry, you'll probably be over there with us."

"We're kinda full there," Marth said and then shrugged. "That means someone's going to get stuck in groceries." Samus laughed at that.

"I pity that person. Groceries means Ike."

"What's Ike?" Zelda asked curiously and the two shared a look.

"Ike's a who, and what he is is a dick," Marth supplied helpfully and Zelda nodded once.

"Yeah, that's putting it mildly," Samus said with a laugh. Just as Zelda was about to ask more the door opened and they began to file inside.

"New girl right?" a gruff voice called out and Zelda turned to see a grizzled older man standing there. His brown hair and facial hair was peppered with gray, his face seemingly set in a permanent scowl, but Zelda got the vibe that despite the rough exterior he was actually nice.

"Yes that's me."

"Good I'm Snake, I'm the overnight manager," he introduced himself and nodded his head. "Clock in and then head over to groceries for training. Make sure to tell Ike I said so." Zelda paled slightly.

"Oh... Okay." She moved to the time clock and Marth gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Ike's hot at least," he offered her in consolation and she shook her head.

XxX

The store was eerily quiet as she walked from the front doors to the grocery section, the only sounds that of the other employees making their way to their sections. She moved past a few aisles of groceries, her eyes hunting for anyone in the section. Finding no one, she turned around to see if she missed this Ike person, only to bump into a solid body.

"You lost?" a deep baritone voice asked and she stepped back before looking up. Zelda's eyes widened in shock at the sight. Clad in the uniform dark green shirt, though his was long sleeved, khaki pants, and the store ordered name tag, was easily the hottest guy she'd ever seen.

"You must be Ike," she said with a happy smile as he looked down at her disapprovingly.

"That's what the name tag says," he said gruffly. "What section are you supposed to be in new hire?"

"The name's Zelda," she corrected politely, "and Snake told me to come to groceries."

"I don't train people," he said with a furrowed brow Zelda found cute.

"Well I guess you do now!" she said with a smile and his scowl somehow deepened. "So, where do we start?" He stared at her for a long silent moment, and she began to wonder if she should ask again.

"We wait for them to bring out a pallet of goods," he finally answered.

"Okay," she nodded and looked around her curiously. "So Ike," she turned back to face him only to see him turning away. He paused, let out a heavy sigh that made her smirk, and turned back to face her.

"What?" his tone was still gruff and for some reason it just made Zelda smile.

"Tell me about yourself," she said as she took another step towards him. His brow furrowed again and she tried to not smile wider.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm trying to be friendly?" she offered and he shook his head.

"Don't waste your time kid," he told her and she snorted.

"You can't be that much older than me," she pointed out and he shrugged. "I'm nineteen, twenty in a few weeks." He turned to go and she sighed. "What about you?" she asked as she moved closer to him and heard his grunt of annoyance.

"Here comes a pallet," he said instead of answering her and she sighed as someone came into view, pushing the pallet jack piled high with products.

"Who's this?" the man pushing the jack gave Zelda a warm and welcoming smile as he released the pallet and it settled on the floor. "Name's Nick, sorry you're over here."

"Zelda," she said and glanced at Ike who stood there looking annoyed.

"Well don't worry," Nick said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Snake will take pity on you after break I bet." Zelda stared at him in shock as he walked off with the pallet jack, surprised he had been so blunt in front of Ike.

"Alright," Ike said in his gruff tone, seemingly unfazed by the rather rude words, "all you need to learn is read this... and the job's easy." She walked over to him, stepped right against him to see where he was pointing on the box, only to find him taking a step away from her. "Look for this sticker, it tells you aisle, section, shelf, and spot." He tapped the sticker and she looked at it. "The price tag on the shelf will have a matching set."

"So aisle ten, section fifteen, shelf three-"

"Spot six," he nodded and held the box out to her. "Do you have a box cutter?" She shook her head and he sighed as he dug in his pocket. "Here," he held out a small metal one and she took it. "Do me a favor and don't cut yourself or the products in the box."

"You're a warm and cuddly person," she said sarcastically and he stared at her for a second before grabbing his own box.

"You know about first in first out?" She shook her head and he sighed. "Put the new stock behind what's on the shelf, keep an eye out for dates on packages, and overstock goes in that cart," he nodded to an empty cart he must've brought over.

"And if I have questions I just find your bright smiling face?" she asked with a smile and he snorted.

"Sure." With that he walked off down a different aisle, leaving Zelda standing there with a slight blush. Sure he was rude but Marth was right, he was hot.

XxX

She got the idea quickly, and was quite proud of herself for how fast she was stocking the shelves. Of course, she was nothing compared to the lightning speed of Ike, who seemed to be moving ridiculously fast. After several hours of stocking she heard Snake's voice over the intercom. "Break time stockers."

"Now what?" she asked Ike as she found him crouched in an aisle surrounded by jars of spaghetti sauce.

"Go up to the break room, sit for a few, then finish up hopefully before the store opens." He stood up and Zelda would've been blind to miss the wince.

"You okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"Fine," he almost snapped at her as he started walking off. Zelda watched him, worried about the pronounced limp as he moved.

XxX

"Has Ike scared you off yet?" Marth asked with a smile as she walked into the break room.

"He's mostly left me alone," she admitted as she sat at the table with him and Samus.

"Wow," Samus said as she opened up her water bottle, "that's Ike being downright nice."

"What's his deal?" Zelda asked and they both shrugged. "You don't know?"

"No one except maybe Snake knows," Marth said in a whisper.

"He was limping," Zelda responded in the same quiet whisper, "right before I came up here."

"He usually does," Samus joined in. "I don't know why."

"Old injury?" Marth mused and Zelda pursed her lips.

"How long has he been working here?"

"Longer than me," Marth said and Samus nodded.

"Same here, and I've been here two years." Zelda looked around her suddenly, worried that they were gossiping about Ike and he would be right there. "He doesn't come up here," Samus said with a smirk.

"Where does he go?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Outside with Snake," Marth answered as he took a sip of his own water. "Snake smokes and I don't know if Ike does but he at least stands outside with him."

"Huh," Zelda tried piece together the minimal information about Ike she had gathered, wondering how people who had been working with him for so long could know so little. Yes this was her first job ever, but she knew things about the people that worked for her dad, things that came up in natural conversations, things someone couldn't help but find out.

"He's hot though right?" Marth's voice cut her thoughts off and she looked up at him. "Ike, he's hot right?" he asked again and she nodded with a blush.

"He's definitely easy on the eyes," she answered and Samus snorted.

"Don't get your hopes up," she warned.

"She's speaking from experience," Marth said in a singsong tone that made Samus shoot a glare his way. "What? I tried too, he's not interested in anyone."

XxX

Break time was over and Zelda couldn't help but ponder the enigma that was Ike. She walked back to groceries to see him already there, scowling at the two pallets that had been dropped off during their break. "Hi again," she called as she walked up to him and he grunted. "I see a break did wonders on your disposition."

"Can you finish up the spaghetti sauce I was doing before break?" he asked instead of responding to her words. "I'll get the cases of water stocked."

"Sure," she nodded and he walked over to the other pallet, Zelda noting the way he favored his left leg. "Do you want me to help with those?" she offered quickly, worried about him lifting the heavy cases.

"I want you to get the sauce," he said firmly as he picked up two cases. "Are you incapable of handling that?"

"No I've got it," she sneered as she walked off, slightly annoyed. All she wanted to do was help. Why did he have to be so rude about it? "Sorry I tried to help you out," she muttered grumpily to herself as she made it to where he had been before. She crouched down and stared at the smiling chef printed on the label. "At least you're happy."

XxX

"Time to go," Ike's voice pulled Zelda out of staring intently at a bag of chocolates, wondering how they tasted.

"We finished everything?" she asked, her exhaustion leaking into her tone.

"Yeah," he nodded, his eyes on the shelf to his right. "Clock out and go home before customers show up."

"You're antisocial aren't you?" she asked as she walked over to him, wondering if he'd walk with her to clock out.

"Something like that," he answered as he turned, a soft hiss leaving his lips. Zelda didn't want to be rude, but she looked down at his left leg, as if she could determine what was wrong with it.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, her concern heavy in her voice. Ike stared at her for a moment, as if taken aback by the question. Then he snorted.

"I'm fucking limping do you think I'm alright?" he said with a snarl but Zelda was almost certain it was forced.

"What happened?" she asked and he stopped in his tracks, whirling on her with a glare.

"I don't have to share my life story with you," he said through gritted teeth. "You're a rich college kid getting a part time job because mommy and daddy threatened to limit your spending or some shit like that. You won't be here a month, so what is the point of having any sort of conversation with you? What is the point of talking and learning to care when the inevitable is that you'll be gone?" He took a shaky breath and Zelda felt her heart break for the man before her. His words were spoken in anger directed not at her but at some past event. Whatever he had been through made him like this, of that she was certain.

"I just..." she trailed off and looked down at the tile between them, "sorry." She moved away from him then, unsure why she felt a confusing mix of sadness for and wanting to comfort the man before her. She reached the time clock and punched out, hearing Ike limp over behind her. She didn't glance back at him as she moved to the front doors, even as the beeps from the clock signaled he had clocked out.

Zelda made it to her car and sat in the driver's seat, staring blankly out of the windshield. Ike's words stung, but they were alarmingly true. Not the quitting part, she was now more than ever determined to keep this job, but everything else he said was true. And what he didn't say was heartbreaking. The whole thing about not wanting to learn or care about her... it rang of a very serious and tragic history.

Blue spiked hair moved past her windshield and Zelda jumped to see Ike moving past her car, his eyes set forward as he popped earbuds in his ears. His limp was bad now as he moved, and Zelda almost rolled down her window to ask if he wanted a ride. Almost.

XxX

The next day came and Zelda was at work even earlier, determined to show that limping ass exactly what kind of person she was. She was determined, fiercely so, to make him realize she wasn't some lazy rich girl. With that thought in her mind she marched up to the front door, only to realize that he wasn't there. A scoff left her lips and caught the attention of Marth.

"Hey Zelda what's up?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Nothing, just wanting to make Ike eat his words yesterday," she said and Marth chuckled.

"What did the infamous ass say?"

"Just that I'm a spoiled brat basically... and that I'm going to quit," she said and Marth raised both eyebrows in surprise. "So I'm here to show him what's up, where is he?"

"Behind you," Ike's baritone startled Zelda and she whirled to see Ike standing right behind her, a dangerous but incredibly sexy gleam in his eyes.

"How'd you sneak up on me?" she asked and he raised an eyebrow as he stepped back a half step, putting more distance between them.

"I'm light on my feet when I'm not limping," he answered as he turned his eyes from her to the door. Zelda took the moment to just stare at him, letting herself absorb all the tiny details. The unshaven blue scruff poking out along his jawline, the dark circles under his blue eyes, and the way he held himself seemed very militaristic.

"Hi Ike," Marth sang out in a shamelessly flirty tone and Ike gave him a little wave. "You look tired. Did you have a busy night?"

"Something like that," Ike responded ambiguously and Zelda couldn't help but blush at that. Ike looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, but before he or she could say anything more the front door opened.

XxX

The pallets came out quicker that morning, and Zelda found herself wishing she would grab a box that would put her in the same aisle as Ike. They both moved quickly, Zelda silently watching Ike any time she could to see if he started limping. Sure enough, she saw him falter right as Snake's voice boomed out over the intercom about break.

"Hey," she called out to him and he paused, "how am I doing?"

"I've seen worse," he responded as he kept walking.

"So I'm doing good?" she prompted and he shrugged. "You're a wellspring of information aren't you?" He snorted at that and Zelda smiled up at him, wondering if she could ever get those scowling lips to smile.

"Zelda!" Marth called her name and Ike moved away from her towards the front door where Snake stood, a pack of cigarettes in hand.

"Hey," she greeted, her eyes on Ike as he slipped out the front door with Snake. "Are they friends?"

"Ike doesn't have friends, at least none that I've ever seen," Marth said with a shrug. "I think he has a sister, but I don't think they talk much."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I was eavesdropping on a phone call and he promised he'd call their mom but he didn't do it then so I'm not sure if he ever did."

"Huh," Zelda mused over that little tidbit and followed Marth into the break room.

XxX

"Do you walk to work?" Zelda asked as Ike came back inside. He nodded as they moved back towards the grocery section, the smell of cigarettes hanging heavily around him. "Do you smoke?"

"Sometimes," he told her as they rounded the corner and saw a small pallet waiting on them.

"It's bad for you," she commented and he snorted.

"Everything is bad for you," he said as they made it to the pallet. "Every single day your body is rotting as you breathe."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" Zelda grumbled and he shrugged once more. "Do you ever smile?"

"I can't tell you the last time I did," he said as he grabbed a box.

"That's sad," she commented and he shook his head.

"Life is shit sometimes," he told her as he popped open the box and looked inside. "Huh, these go to HBA, wanna walk them over there?" He held out the box and she raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't you?"

"Because they seem to like you and my leg is starting to hurt."

"What-"

"Don't ask about the leg," he told her in a tone that left no room for argument and she sighed.

"I'll crack your shell Ike," she warned with a smile as she took the box.

"Yes, next we'll have slumber parties and braid each other's hair," he added sarcastically and she laughed.

XxX

"Zelda!" Marth beamed as she walked over to the shampoo and body wash aisle. "What brings you to this lovely corner of the kingdom?"

"We got a wrong box on our pallet," she explained with a smile and Marth sighed.

"So no declarations of love from Ike?"

"Give him time, he'll come around," she said with an amused smile.

"How's it going over there?"

"Actually not too bad," Zelda admitted with a little smile. "He's rude, very rude, but-"

"Totally hot and makes you forget about all that the second he looks you in the eye?" Marth asked with a knowing smirk and Zelda blushed.

"I need to get back, otherwise he'll think I left him forever." Zelda gave Marth a little wave and moved on, trying to think of other things to try to talk to Ike about. He was such an enigma, a lonely, grumpy enigma that she couldn't help but like.

"Hey Grumpy," she called out as she made it back to the pallet.

"Hi Dopey," he fired back and she laughed.

"How am I Dopey?" she asked as she picked up a box and casually watched him limp his way over to her.

"Naïve view of the world, dopey smile-"

"Now I know you're just being mean," she said as she opened the box, "my smile can light up a room." She looked up at him, feeling very exposed under his stare. "I bet yours could light up a room too," she said as she began to walk off with the box of packaged dried fruits. As she placed them on the shelf she heard Ike's shuffle and looked up to see him move to the shelving next to her.

"I think you're a grumpy old man," she commented and he looked over at her.

"I'm older than you, but not that old," he grumbled as he ripped open the box.

"Well, since I don't know how old you are, you're officially my grumpy old man," she teased and he snorted.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he muttered and she smiled at the shelf in front of her.

"What does a grumpy old man do after work?"

"Sit on my balcony and yell at the whippersnappers to get off my lawn," he told her dryly and she laughed.

"I'm serious Ike!"

"Oh so am I," he said sarcastically. "They keep messing up my flower beds." Zelda laughed again, wondering how he could keep such a straight face.

"I bet your girlfriend makes you smile," she said after a moment and he shrugged.

"Don't have one."

"Boyfriend?"

"Much to Marth's chagrin I don't swing that way... though I have no problem with it," he added after a moment and Zelda looked at him curiously.

"You know he thinks you're hot right?" she asked and he snorted.

"He's not the only one that thinks I'm hot," he said with such an uncaring tone it couldn't be mistaken for cockiness.

"Most guys I've met get weirded out by that," she admitted and he snorted.

"I served with a few gay guys, they're nothing to get weirded out over."

"I knew you were in the military!" she cried out excitedly and he tensed.

"You-"

"Are a sneaky boots?" she asked innocently and he glared at her.

"Not the b word I want to use," he said with a sigh and she gasped in feigned shock.

"Sneaky babe? Ike I had no idea-"

"Whatever," he grumbled and limped away from her quickly. She sighed but felt better about her newly gathered information. Military service could explain quite a few things about him. The limp, the attitude, the secrecy... it all fit with a traumatic experience overseas. She'd have to call her dad later, ask him some questions about the damage done to someone who had most likely been through hell like that, but she was almost certain that his entire attitude could be explained by that. For the first time in her life she was thankful her dad was a psychiatrist that had helped some soldiers suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder.

"Ike?" she called his name as she left the aisle, finding him grimacing by the pallet. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked gently as she walked up to him and he nodded curtly.

"Fine, let's finish this pallet so we can leave," he told her through gritted teeth. Zelda grabbed the box he tried to grab and he glared at her.

"Rest your leg a minute alright?" she explained gently and he shook his head as he grabbed another box.

"I don't need a break, and I don't need to get used to you providing one," he told her pointedly before he stalked off.

"I'm just trying to help!" she called after him, hoping he'd acknowledge it. When he kept moving she sighed and went about her shift, mind on whether or not she could crack his shell. She found herself wondering more whether or not she really wanted to.

 **XXX**

 **Yes I'm back with more Zike! I don't know how long this'll be, but I'm hoping for a decent length... I've got this whole story written out in a notebook so updates will be frequent! I'll also be posting a long one shot soon that I'm excited for, and doing the story rewrites I've been talking about. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter and please let me know what you think. Much love, Leigh**


	2. Chapter 2

Zelda woke up to the sound of one of her roommates belting out a pop song, the off key tone making her cringe. She rolled over and buried her face back into her pillow, her mind on getting some more sleep. She had class at ten and work had given her the day off, why couldn't her obnoxious roommates keep it down? Another off key voice joined in and Zelda groaned. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and looked at the time. When it confirmed her worst fear, that it was only seven thirty, she whined and pulled up her texts.

'Hey. Asshole roommates woke me up. What's up?' she fired off the text to her best friend and then sat up, her mind trailing off to her grumpy coworker. Was he working today? Did he think she quit? A response pulled her from thinking about Ike and she smiled down at the screen.

'My asshole roommates are comparing war stories from their night of drunken revelry. Apparently there was a lot of hot chicks at the bar and it was so hard to choose just one.'

'We're boring college students huh?'

'Id rather be boring than that! Lol wanna grab a bite? We can catch up and you can tell me all about your new job :)'

'Sure. Meet you downstairs in twenty?'

XxX

After deftly avoiding her roommates, Zelda made it downstairs with her backpack, a smile on her lips the second she saw Link approaching. "Hey," she said as they fell into step and kept walking.

"Hi," he responded around a big yawn. "Man I need caffeine."

"Then let's get some!" she looped an arm through his and pulled him along, him chuckling along the way.

"You're in a good mood... I thought you'd be miserable because you hate the job."

"Actually," Zelda gave him a smile, "it's not so bad. The work kinda sucks but I'm on this team with this guy-"

"Uh oh," Link grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"He's rude, says snarky things, doesn't smile-"

"He sounds terrible," Link made a face and she nodded.

"He's a good terrible? Does that make sense?"

"No, not at all."

"I mean, I got him to admit that he was in the military and after working for a few hours he walks with a limp... I think this whole rude ass thing is just a cover."

"You sound like your dad dissecting your old high school boyfriends over dinner," Link chuckled and she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, some of his crap was bound to rub off on me," she said quickly. "But back to Ike."

"Ike? Is this Ike hot?" Link asked in a teasing tone and Zelda blushed.

"Very. Anyway, I think I can crack that outer shell he's built up. It's going to be tough I mean, he's worked there for a while now and no one knows anything about him-"

"How old is he?" Link's query made her hesitate. "Zelda?"

"I don't know, but he's older than us," she admitted and Link shook his head.

"Oh Zelda, always going after the older guys."

"Shut up that's not true!"

"It's so true! You had a crush on seniors all freshman year and-" Zelda clapped a hand over his mouth and felt his grin under her palm.

"I miss your silent, too shy to talk days sometimes," she teased and he rolled his eyes. She removed her hand and he gave a fake huff.

"So, tell me what rude but attractive looks like."

"Oh goddesses Link," she let out a little growl. "He's tall, obviously muscled, has the deepest blue eyes and hair you've ever seen... What?" she questioned curiously at Link's smile.

"Nothing, it's just been awhile since I've heard you gush about a guy... Glad to know one bad apple didn't spoil the whole bunch for you." Zelda blushed and looked down at the pavement as they moved, shame and embarrassment making the red crawl all the way up her pointed ears. Link didn't know half of what had happened with her ex boyfriend, she had refused to tell him the whole story. He got the g rated version of the story, as did everyone else, about a guy just trying to push too far too fast. She had kept quiet about the fact that he had pushed it too far. "So," Link's voice pulled her from thinking about that and she looked up at him curiously, "is he interested?"

"I don't know," she admitted with a sigh. "I mean, probably not and I've only worked with him twice but he's... very interesting."

"You might just have a case of new job crush," Link said matter of factly and she snorted.

"What's that?"

"You get a new job, the excitement of that makes you think you're falling for someone you're not... It happens to a lot of people. I bet it'll fade and this Ike guy will just be an asshole by the end of the week."

"Yeah," she nodded, honestly finding sense in his words. This was her first job ever and he was also right about the crushes on older guys. This whole fascination with Ike would fade, and she would probably end up treating him like everyone else. But, as they walked into the on-campus eatery, she had a feeling that it wouldn't. A glance around at the gathered guys proved one thing to her above all else: they definitely weren't Ike.

XxX

Classes passed in a blur for Zelda. She took her notes for lectures, paid attention to the words, and before she knew it she was heading back to her dorm. As she climbed the stairs her phone chimed and she pulled it out curiously.

'Zelda this is Snake. Do you have classes tomorrow morning?' She sighed and began to type her response.

'No I can work. I have classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.'

'Great. We have a big truck and a walk through so we need everyone we can get to make the store look it's best. I'm sure Ike will be happy you're there.' She laughed at that, wondering if he was serious.

'Right. Because Ike and I are besties.' she sent back as she made it to her front door.

"Hi Zelda!" Peach's chipper voice made her cringe.

"Hey Peach."

"My morning class cancelled," she said as she stretched on the shared couch. "We should hit the mall! There's a new shop that just opened and-"

"I'm gonna knock out my homework," Zelda said quickly as she moved to her room.

"Come on! You don't have to do it the second it's been assigned!" Peach pouted and Zelda shrugged as her phone dinged in her hand.

"I'd rather get it done, I've got a job now remember?"

"Ugh, so lame," Peach pouted more and Zelda shook her head as she shut her bedroom door. She looked at her phone, a confused smile coming to her lips.

'You're the first person he hasn't run out of groceries and he told me you bust ass while stocking so take that as you will. From Ike? That's as good as it gets.' She smiled at that as she set her phone down.

"Not too bad huh Ike?" she asked the room around her as she sat on her bed.

XxX

The weather had shifted overnight, and Zelda was glad she had worn her long sleeve green shirt as she hopped out of her car. Quick steps brought her to the door, where Marth gave her a warm but sleepy smile. "You look tired," she commented and he nodded.

"I went to a party last night," he admitted softly. "Had some fun, maybe a little too much to drink... It was nice." He looked around and frowned. "Where's Samus? I need her help today." Zelda shrugged and looked around, spotting the blue spikes of Ike as he moved closer.

"Did you think I quit?" she asked innocently as he approached and he paused, his eyebrow rising.

"I'm more than capable of reading a schedule," he said in his usual tone. "That and I couldn't get that lucky." She gave him a fake glare and was rewarded with a spark of mischief in his eyes. It wasn't a smile, his lips didn't even twitch, but she counted it as a win.

"I bet you missed me," she continued after a moment and he snorted.

"I'll miss the silence today," he amended her words and she scoffed.

"Fine, I won't say another word to you," she stuck out her tongue and Ike raised an eyebrow.

"You're mature," he replied and she laughed.

"One of us has to be silly, and obviously that's not going to be you." She turned away from him to see Marth staring at them in shock. "What?"

"That's the longest Ike has gone without outright insulting someone since I met him," he told her in a whisper and Zelda beamed.

"He likes me, we're besties right Ike?" she asked over her shoulder and watched Ike scowl.

"Not even close."

XxX

They clocked in and walked over to groceries side by side, the silence actually nice. She glanced up at him, noting his clean shaven cheeks, and smiled. He glanced at her and she blushed at being caught. "What?" he asked and she shook her head.

"You shaved, I just noticed."

"Yeah I do that," he said gruffly. "I had extra time this morning," he explained after a moment and she gave him a suspicious look.

"You had extra time?"

"Yeah," he looked down at her and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes, how they looked worse today than two days ago and her heart hurt for him.

"Ike... I know you don't like talking about-"

"Then don't fucking ask," he said firmly as they reached their section.

"If you ever need someone to talk to-"

"Look," he whirled on her, his eyes angry, "I have a therapist, I don't need another one. Especially not you, who couldn't possibly even begin to understand."

"You were injured overseas," she said firmly, "most likely, judging by your attitude, you lost some friends-"

"I lost everyone!" he almost yelled at her. She watched his hands clench to tight fists at his sides, his eyes narrow dangerously, and she suddenly felt very afraid of Ike. "Don't you dare judge me for how or who I am today. You have no idea what I've lived through!" he hissed out the last words before turning on his heel and stalking off. Zelda felt an overwhelming surge of sadness and simultaneously felt awful for having triggered his anger.

"Ike," she called his name and moved to find him, ready to apologize. "Ike where are you?" She found him, standing in the last aisle, his hands on his hips as he took deep albeit shaky breaths.

"Just go to HBA or something," he growled out. "I can't work with people, I told Snake, I fucking told him-"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly and he paused, his eyes flicking to her in confusion. "You're right Ike, it's none of my business, especially if you don't want to tell me. I just," she let out a heavy sigh and broke their eye contact, "I wanted to help alright? I don't think you're broken or anything... I just wanted to help you." She felt ashamed of herself, knowing that not only was it not her business but he had every right to be upset and want her gone. "I'll go, maybe Marth needs me-"

"Dammit," he snapped and stalked forward. "Zelda, I don't want that I just," he sighed and buried the heels of his hands in his eyes. He pulled his hands away and met her gaze, absolute sadness in his eyes. "I lived. I survived. Barely, but I did. I don't want to talk about it because it was hell. I don't need to vent, I don't need a shoulder to cry on, I just want to do my job, go home, shower, and try to sleep again alright?"

"Okay," she nodded once and he let out a world weary sigh.

"There's a pallet coming," he said in a quiet voice before walking away, leaving Zelda to follow silently.

XxX

They worked quickly and in silence, not a word spared between them. Zelda felt awful about earlier but she had no idea how to even begin to repair the damage done. "Hey," Ike's voice pulled her from staring forlornly down at a box of fruit snacks.

"What's up?" she asked in a forced light tone and he sighed.

"Put the fruit snacks down," he told her as he limped her way, wincing with every few steps.

"Are you-" he cut off her words by grabbing the box from her fingers and placing it in the right spot on the shelf.

"If you tell anyone, I will deny it and make your life a living hell," he warned and she blinked in confusion.

"Tell anyone what? About earlier? Ike I-"

"No, if you tell anyone about this," he said firmly and to Zelda's absolute surprise he pulled her against his chest in a tight hug and held her there. After the shock wore off he released her and stepped back. "Not a word." She smiled at him and nodded, earning a slight nod in return.

XxX

They worked quickly, very aware of the visit happening later that morning. Zelda caught Ike limping worse than he normally did, but if she even opened her mouth he shot her a glare that could melt iron. Finally they were called on break and Zelda walked up to Ike. "Come on," she said and he shook his head.

"If I work through the break we'll be-"

"It's fifteen minutes Ike and I can tell you need the break," she said firmly and he narrowed his eyes. "Come on, just sit down and get off your leg for awhile."

"I-I can't," he admitted with a wince as they began to move to the front.

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"Because I'm worried that if I sit down I won't be able to get up," he admitted and she frowned.

"Ike-"

"I'm going outside with Snake, see you after the break," he said quickly and moved to the front doors where the duo disappeared.

"Hey," Marth caught up to her with a worried expression. "We heard Ike shout earlier are you okay?"

"Yeah," she frowned at the doors before turning to Marth. "Just a little misunderstanding..."

"Do you want to get reassigned? I'm sure Snake wouldn't mind-"

"No," Zelda said firmly as she watched two sets of cigarette butts light outside the front doors. "I think we're alright."

XxX

"Shit!" Zelda hissed out the curse as the glass jar slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. The smell of the olive oil hit her noise and she let out a small string of curses.

"What happened?" Ike appeared at the end of the aisle and she frowned at him. "You okay?" he asked as he stepped forward and she nodded.

"Yeah I-" he reached her and made the words freeze on her tongue as he gripped her hips and lifted her out of the mess.

"We can get this cleaned up no problem," Ike said with a shrug. "I'll track down a maintenance guy and-"

"What happened?" Snake's rough tone made Zelda tense. As one the duo turned to see him standing there. Zelda opened her mouth to explain that the jar slipped from her fingers only to have Ike limp forward.

"My leg locked up, I dropped the bottle," he explained quickly and Snake nodded once.

"I'll grab a maintenance guy," Snake said, seemingly buying the lie. "Ike, stay out of the aisle, Zelda walk with me." She chanced a glance at Ike who nodded subtly.

"Sure," she moved forward and fell in step with Snake.

"I don't care about the damn bottle," Snake said with a smirk as they moved. "I could care less about it and I know it was you. What's got me confused is Ike sticking up for you like that."

"Oh," she lowered her head to hide her shamed blush.

"He's not in trouble, in fact I think it's a good sign."

"What do you mean?" she asked and Snake barked a laugh.

"Ike hates people, and I understand why. He pushes everyone away, keeps to himself, and refuses to work with anyone. Normally? If anyone dropped a glass bottle he'd suggest they be moved to another section. You drop one? He jumps to defend you."

"What does that mean?" she asked in confusion and Snake gave her a small smirk.

"That means keep doing whatever it is that you're doing," Snake explained as they found a maintenance man pushing the floor buffer. "Hey, we need you for a broken bottle in groceries." The man nodded and Snake turned back to Zelda. "Get back to groceries."

"You got it."

XxX

"Walk through time," Ike said as Zelda finished up the last box from the pallet. He stood there, looking exhausted, and Zelda gave him a small smile.

"What is a walk through?" she asked and Ike sighed as the guy Nick came by, gave Zelda a wave, and left with their now empty pallet.

"Corporate sends some idiot by and they inspect the store. If it's not right in any way we get in trouble."

"Well that's dumb," she said and he snorted.

"Yeah, but that's life. Once they're done inspecting groceries we can go."

"Alright..." she nodded, a thought coming to her. "Do you want a ride home?" He whirled on her, his eyes suspicious and she laughed. "What?"

"Why?"

"Has no one ever offered you a ride?" she asked incredulously.

"No."

"That's so stupid."

"I'm not exactly the friendliest person," he reminded and she shrugged.

"You're definitely not, but that doesn't change the fact that I offered."

"I don't live far," he said firmly, "I'll walk."

"How far is it?" she asked and he sighed.

"I said I'll walk," he told her, the same firm tone in place.

"And I asked how far away it was," she said back. She watched his eyes narrow.

"Two miles."

"Ike! No, I'm driving you. No!" she snapped her fingers and pointed up at his face. "No arguments. Not with the way you're limping today." His eyes flashed and she gave him a wink. "I win."

"This round," he admitted and looked behind her. "Here comes the firing squad."

XxX

Zelda walked with Ike out to her car, a spring in her step. They had received a glowing review from the corporate guy, a fat man in a cheap suit and too much cologne, had been very impressed and a little flirty towards her which Ike had surprisingly handled with the scariest glares Zelda had ever witnessed. Now they were on their way back to Ike's, her smiling as she unlocked the car. She caught him shaking his head and had to ask. "What?"

"This is an expensive car," he commented as he opened the door. She scoffed and hopped in the drivers seat, watching Ike ease himself down. He hissed a few choice words under his breath as he got his leg in, pausing for a moment to let out a steady stream of curses that made Zelda blush. Then he finally got his right leg in and slammed the door, letting out a heavy sigh. "Alright," he said in a breathless tone, "you're never talking me into this again."

"I didn't think it woul-"

"There's a reason I walk," he told her as he shifted in his seat. "Just get going, take a left and stay in the far right lane."

"Aye aye captain," she gave a little salute and he snorted.

"Wasn't the navy sweetheart," he added under his breath and she smiled at the windshield.

"What branch then?"

"Just drive."

XxX

They made it to a worn down looking building that, in Zelda's opinion, looked like it had seen better decades. "You live here?" she asked and he nodded.

"Rent's cheap, neighbors don't ask questions," he shrugged as he opened the door and groaned his way out of the car. "It's actually nicer on the inside," he commented as Zelda got out too.

"What floor do you live on?" she asked carefully and Ike sighed.

"The third. Look," he turned to her and sighed, "thanks for the ride home. I can make it upstairs." She watched him take a step away and let out a pained noise.

"Ike!" Zelda moved around her car and caught him as he wobbled on his feet. He leaned on her, his breath ragged in her ear. "Come on, I'm helping you upstairs." She looped an arm around his waist and he hissed out a pained noise as they began to move. "It's going to be okay, I promise Ike." She kept repeating words of encouragement, every step up the metal staircase.

"Are you," Ike gasped out heavily as they made it to the last step, "going to college to be a fucking motivational speaker or something?"

"Shut up," she laughed at that and he nodded at a the second door on the third floor.

"That's me." They moved slowly, Zelda feeling Ike lean more on her. "Fuck I hate this," he winced as they stopped outside his door. He fumbled his key out of his pocket and Zelda took it from him to turn it.

"Here we are," she said as the door swung open.

"It's not glamorous," he warned as they stepped inside and Zelda saw why he had warned her. It was a very simple, rather small studio apartment. The bed was in the middle of the room, a tv mounted on the wall, and a small table by the head of the bed.

"It's home though right?" she asked as she helped him to the bed.

"Home I can't go back to," he hissed as he collapsed on his back on the bed. "This is an apartment, where I eat, sleep, shower, and exist when I'm not at my two jobs."

"Two?" she asked in worry.

"Yeah," he nodded, eyes screwed shut in pain. "Fuck, can you go into the bathroom, above the sink there's a cabinet... Grab the bottle of pills in the box... You might have to get on the sink I pushed them to the very back."

"Why?" she asked as she began to move to the bathroom. She barely heard his answer.

"Because I don't wanna swallow the bottle." She shook her head and opened the cabinet, scowling at the tiny orange bottle shoved against the back. With a sigh she climbed up on the counter and grabbed the medicine. A glance around the sink proved to be fruitful and she grabbed an empty beer bottle to fill up with the tap.

"Okay," she came back into the room and scowled at the way Ike was trying to keep his face neutral. He was pale, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Hey," she came over and sat on the bed, making sure to sit closer to his head than legs. "Here," she popped the cap off the bottle and pulled out two pills. He blinked and let out a huff of air.

"This is not how I ever wanted anyone to see me," he admitted as he grabbed the pills from her palm and the beer bottle from her other hand. She watched him knock back the pills and chug the water, a small trail dribbling down his chin. Zelda smiled and, without thinking, swiped the water away with her thumb. He lowered the bottle and stared at her, something she was scared to try and name in his eyes. "Thanks," he said after a moment and Zelda smiled at him softly.

"I uh, it's no problem..." she trailed off as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. "Hold on," she leaned forward, and over him, to pull her phone from her back pocket. "Don't get any ideas," she teased and he raised an eyebrow. Phone retrieved she saw her mom was calling and groaned. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hello dear! Your father and I want to have lunch with our favorite daughter. Let's say noon, that charming little bistro on main?"

"Uh," Zelda glanced Ike who looked confused. "Hold on Mom." She muted the call and sighed. "They want to grab lunch with me."

"Free meal," Ike nodded.

"Yeah but you-"

"I'll be fine. Seriously? I live alone, I don't need to be babysat. Once the pills kick in I'm golden." She stared at him and he sighed heavily. "Zelda say yes to a free meal and leave me the hell alone." She rolled her eyes at that and he shifted on his bed.

"Okay," Zelda pressed the screen to end the mute and sighed. "I'll be there Mom."

"Excellent. Bye dear!"

"Bye." She hung up and held her phone in her hands. "Are you really going to be okay?"

"Yes Zelda, I'm a big boy remember?" he asked in a condescending tone and she scowled at him.

"Cut the bravado crap Ike I'm serious. You would've fallen down those steps if I wasn't there," she said and he looked away.

"Look, you really wanna help me?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah I do."

"Closet in the bathroom," he nodded. "There's a... a cane in there for me. Get that and put it over here?" She nodded, not surprised he had one. As she got up she heard him grumble something but missed it. Choosing to ignore it, she went back into the bathroom and opened the closet door. He didn't exactly have a massive selection of clothes, so the cane leaning against the side near the back was easy enough to spot. She took the two steps necessary to get into the closet and crouched to grab it better. A gleam caught her eye and she froze in shock, the sight of the gun so unexpected at first she couldn't process it. "Zelda?" Ike calling her name made her snap to what she was supposed to be doing and she quickly grabbed the cane.

"Why do you have a gun?" she practically demanded as she came back into the main room. Ike shifted on the bed and glared at her.

"Little girls shouldn't snoop."

"I wasn't snooping I was grabbing your cane," she tossed the cane down and his scowl deepened. "Why do you have a gun?"

"Put two and two together," he snarled at her, "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Do you want to kill yourself?" she asked incredulously and he sat upright on his bed, the pain making the growl that left his throat more intense.

"Don't fucking judge me you rich, spoiled brat! I want the fucking option!"

"Why?"

"Why?! Are you kidding?" he barked a humorless laugh. "Look at me!" he held out his arms. "I can barely work, after a few hours on my feet this happens, I can't fucking sleep without horrible nightmares..." He trailed off, his chest heaving. "I lived, I came home, and I wish I hadn't. Every goddamn day." She stared at him, shocked and horrified.

"Ike..." she stared at him and he glared back, absolute anger in his eyes. "I'm..." She trailed off, unsure of how to respond to any of this information. Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned forward and hugged him tightly. She felt him tense under her grip, heard his shaky inhale, but still she didn't let go.

"Get off," he grumpily told her as he eased her arms from around his torso.

"I haven't known you long," she said softly, staring at his bed and not at him, "but I'm glad you did." It grew silent at her words and she chanced a glance up at him. He was staring at her again, with the same look he had before.

"Go get your free food," he muttered after a moment, looking away, "I need to try to sleep."

"Here," she grabbed a discarded piece of mail and a permanent marker he had on his bedside table and wrote her number down. "Call me if you need anything okay? Don't hesitate."

"Sure," he said unconvincingly and she gave him a look. "Fine, I'll call if I need to."

"Good. Do you want me to swing by later?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I'm sure you've got better things to do than hang out with my crippled ass, go do them college girl." He laid down with that and she sighed.

"I'll do what I want," she said and heard him huff. With that she stood up to leave, picking up the cane and easing in the space between the bed and little table. "Call me yeah?"

"Sure," he grumbled and she gave him a small smile. She started to walk towards the door, her heart telling her not to go. "If you're uh, serious about stopping by later," he called out and she paused, "my spare key is in the little drawer at the kitchen counter... Since I can't really get up right now anyway I'd like you to take it and lock up behind you. I can always get it from you at work or something."

"That's... Really trusting of you," she said with a smile and he shrugged.

"The most valuable things I own are my tv and the gun," he told her with a sigh, "and you're not hurting for cash." She laughed lightly and moved to the counter. After finding a very narrow drawer she opened it to see a key laying there on a key ring decorated with a bikini clad pin up.

"Cute keychain," she said and he snorted.

"Wrap your hands around it real tight to warm it up."

"Why?"

"The bikini disappears." She shook her head and moved to the front door.

"Bye Ike."

"Bye."

 **XXX**

 **I feel like this chapter was long, but breaking it up seemed wrong. I hope you're enjoying it! Special thanks to the ever amazing concisponci, the fantastic Qoh22, and my wonderfully anonymous guest on the first chapter! Let me know what you think so far! Much love, Leigh**


	3. Chapter 3

The bistro was as bustling as a tiny, overpriced place could be when Zelda arrived. She found her parents easily and walked over, a smile she had to force on her lips. "Hey Mom, hi Dad," she greeted as she sat down, feeling very underdressed with them in their work attire.

"Hello dear," her mother beamed at her, all signs of aging held at bay with the latest in surgeries and injections. Honestly, looking at her next to Zelda, you'd almost think they were sisters. The same colored hair, one natural and one now from a bottle, the eyes similar to each other, the noses both so perfect for their soft faces... It was easy to see where Zelda got her beauty, and the lengths her mother was going to to preserve it was a little worrisome.

"How's the job?" her father asked without delay and she looked over at him with a smile. He had been packing on a few pounds, covered nicely by his tailored suit, but not quite hidden in the extra chin he was beginning to develop. His hair once filled with brown locks was now professionally streaked with gray, as well as his goatee he had started to grow to help hide the beginnings of his double chin.

"It's going well," she nodded as she looked between them. They were far enough apart at the table to show that they had been fighting earlier, no doubt about her mother's lavish spending habits again. "I'm stocking shelves in the grocery department and working with a military veteran."

"What war?" her father asked and she sighed as she picked up her menu.

"The one still going on," she said as she perused the options. "He got injured-"

"Where?"

"His leg," she said as she glanced up at her dad suspiciously. "He limps after working for awhile and today I had to help him home." Her mother let out a sympathetic noise as she sipped her lemon water.

"Does he have anger issues?" her dad asked and Zelda tensed.

"He's angry-"

"Towards you?"

"To everyone." Her father blinked at her, the wheels of his brain churning. "He's been through a lot from what I've gathered."

"Is he attractive?" her mother asked and Zelda blushed at her, a small nod making her mother laugh. "Tall?"

"Pretty tall," she admitted, "and handsome... blue eyes like you wouldn't believe, and his hair is the same color."

"Not Hylian then," her father commented and Zelda shared a look with her mom.

"What's wrong with that dear? He sounds delightful."

"Delightfully mental," her father scoffed and Zelda whirled on him.

"Dad!" she glared at him, making him shrug.

"Sufferers of PTSD recover, but it's a very long and often extremely painful process."

"He's already shown signs of improvement," Zelda said firmly, "and I've only worked with him three times."

"Really Zelda I'm sure he's s nice young man," her father waved off her words, "but the last thing I need is for you to get interested and attracted to a volatile individual. He's an injured veteran, suffering from PTSD, probably has suicidal thoughts-"

"He's a great guy going through a tough time," Zelda insisted and her father shot her a look.

"He's dangerous, I don't want you near him." She scoffed at that.

"I'm more than capable of judging who's dangerous and who's not," she said in a strained polite tone. "Can we please talk about anything else?" Her dad huffed and her mother nodded.

"We're going overseas next week," her mother, ever the tension cutter, supplied. Zelda smiled and feigned interest in the details of her mother's upcoming fashion show, her father silent as he brooded.

XxX

Zelda made it out of lunch with her parents and drove to the nearest coffee shop. She checked her phone and sighed at the fact that she had no missed calls or texts. After ordering two coffees, one iced, flavored, and delicious and the other black and hot, she drove back to Ike's. After climbing the stairs and opening the door she froze, alarmed when he wasn't on his bed.

"Ike?" she called his name warily, worried about what she might find.

"Fuck," she heard the hiss from the bathroom and carefully walked forward.

"Ike?"

"Zelda?" the voice came muffled through the door and she smirked slightly to herself.

"Yeah, told you I'd come back and check on you... I brought you some coffee." The door opened and she stared in shock at Ike in a towel. His body was incredibly fit... and horrifically scarred. Rough, discolored patches of skin littered his body, scars in other places-

"Shit, lemme get a shirt and pants on," he growled and stepped back into his closet. Zelda used the moment to blink a few times, trying to dislodge the sight that was now permanently seared on her retinas. He said he barely survived but that... "Hey," he poked out of the bathroom, dressed in a dark gray hoodie and black sweatpants. "I uh," he looked down at the floor, "guess there's no way you didn't see that huh?"

"Ike," she frowned up at him, pain written across her face.

"No," he snarled at her. "Don't you fucking pity me. Don't you dare."

"Ike-"

"Stop it!" he snapped, his eyes angry. "I don't want your pity. It's misplaced." She nodded, trying to wrap her mind around the whole situation. "I don't want it okay? If that's what you're feeling then just go." She held out the coffee cup and he sighed as he took it.

"I'm sorry Ike," she whispered and turned to leave, tears in her eyes.

She made it back to her dorm, locked herself in her room, and cried. She cried for Ike, for the unknown horror he somehow survived, and cried for the man he must've once been.

XxX

The next day her classes were all a blur. The information went in one ear and out the other, not even trying to make a place in her brain. She went through the motions of eating, her mind on Ike in that apartment, limping, hurting, and angry. Her eyes trailed to her phone, wishing she had thought to get his number. He'd be off of work by then, hell he had limped back to his apartment by now and... did he work his second job today? What did he do?

"Earth to Zelda," Peach's voice at her door made her jump. "Daydreaming?"

"More like day... I was just thinking," she shook her head and forced a smile to her lips. "What's up Peach?"

"Well," Peach twirled a lock of fluffy blonde hair between her fingers and smiled, "there's a party tonight and-"

"I have work in the morning."

"Aw c'mon Zelda!" Peach pouted. "Don't be so lame! You'll have fun. Hot guys, alcohol-"

"No," she shook her head and Peach rolled her eyes.

"Live your life! Have fun while you're young!"

"Peach," Zelda pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh. "No okay? I have my own fun, I don't want to go out and party."

"Lame," Peach singsonged as she left and Zelda rolled her eyes.

XxX

The next morning Zelda got up for work and dressed, wondering if Ike would have her moved to another section. The drive to work was silent, her forgetting to put on any music. As she pulled into a parking space she looked at the gathered bodies, not seeing her limping companion. With a heavy sigh she got out of her car and moved in a daze to the front doors. Marth gave her a curious smile and she just shook her head, keeping her eyes on the ground.

Out of nowhere a travel coffee cup purchased from a gas station was shoved in her face. Zelda jumped and looked up to see Ike holding it. His face was set in a stoic mask, but his eyes sparked with something she wanted to call regret. "Take the damn cup?" he asked and she gave him a small nervous smile as she did.

"Thanks."

"I owed you for the other day," he added as he shifted on his feet. "It's just from the gas station down by my place but it's actually alright." Her smile grew at that and she raised the mug to her lips. One sip confirmed it was definitely iced, and vanilla flavored. "They don't... I added ice cubes to it," he told her, looking down at the pavement.

"Thanks Ike," she said with a slight blush crawling up her cheeks. "That's... really sweet of you." He shrugged off her words and she took another sip, trying to ignore Marth's dumbfounded expression.

The doors opened and as one the mass of bodies moved to the time clock. Once Zelda was clocked in she waited for Ike before beginning the trek to groceries. "I just want to be treated like a normal person," Ike told her softly and she looked up at him, noted how he kept his eyes on anything but her. "I'm not my scars, I'm not... what happened to me. I'm Ike."

"That's fair," she nodded and he glanced down at her. They had just made it to groceries and she paused. "Do you want me to-"

"I'm sorry," he spoke quickly, looking pained to do so. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset I just... I get tired of looks like that and I," he took a deep breath, "I don't want you to look at me that way."

"I won't," she said quickly, putting her hand on his arm. He looked down at her hand and she squeezed gently. "I'm sorry about yesterday too okay?" He looked deep in her eyes then, Zelda having the eerie feeling he was looking into her soul, and for the briefest of seconds she could've sworn his lips twitched upwards. Then he was back to his normal blank mask, making her question whether or not she saw it at all.

"There's a pallet coming," he told her as he pulled his arm from her hand.

XxX

They worked swiftly, Zelda very aware the moment he started limping. By the time break was called he was obviously favoring his leg, but not too much. "You know what?" Zelda said as they moved to the front together.

"What?"

"I need to go shopping for some boots," she said out of nowhere, "you wanna come along?"

"No. I hate shopping."

"It's just the mall."

"You want to drag the guy who limps through the mall?" he asked incredulously and she smiled sweetly up at him.

"It's just one store." That earned her a snort and she narrowed her eyes.

"I have had girlfriends, a mom, and a sister. It's never just one store," he said firmly and Zelda couldn't help but laugh.

"I promise. We can go on your next day off."

"I don't want to," he responded quickly and she let out a heavy sigh.

"Ike do you want me to treat you like I treat everyone else?" she asked and he nodded once. "Then name a day, we're going."

"You're stubborn y'know," he said and then added under his breath, "and a real pain in my ass." She laughed, having caught the whole thing. They parted ways at the front door and Marth pounced like an excited kitten.

"He bought you coffee?" he asked, like it was the craziest thing to ever happen.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I drove him home the other day and bought-"

"Whoa, you've been to his place?!" Marth stared at her, like she had sprouted another head, and Zelda nodded. "I don't believe it."

"Believe what?" she questioned curiously and Marth gave her an impressed smile.

"You're actually getting to know Ike."

XxX

"We're both off tomorrow, there was an error in ordering," Ike said as they met up back in groceries. "I'm off from my other job then too."

"Awesome!" she beamed at him, so happy he'd actually agreed. "I'll pick you up?"

"Well I can't exactly walk there," he responded dryly. "Not if you're going to drag me around all day."

"Not all day!" she laughed and slapped his stomach gently. "Just one store, maybe lunch?"

"The mall opens at nine. You really plan to spend two to three hours in one store?" he asked dryly and she laughed.

"Would it kill you to hang out with someone? Be social?"

"God it probably would," he said with a sneer and Zelda laughed.

"Then I'll go to your funeral," she said somberly and was rewarded with him rolling his eyes.

"You'll be the only one," he grumbled as he walked off and she frowned after him.

XxX

They made it to the end of the shift and walked up to the front together, Zelda smiling in silence at their planned morning together the next day. "Ike?" she looked up at him as they made it to the time clock.

"What?"

"Do you..." she blushed but really wanted to know. "Do you have a girlfriend that's going to get jealous of my stealing you on your day off?"

"No," he shook his head as he punched the keys, "I haven't had a girlfriend in years."

"I find that hard to believe," she commented and he snorted.

"I said I haven't had a girlfriend, not that I haven't had any interested parties."

"Then why say no?" she asked innocently and he stepped aside for her to clock out.

"You've seen why," he whispered softly and the image of his scarred torso flashed in her mind.

"Yeah but someone who loves you wouldn't care about that," she insisted and he looked down at her, confusion all over his face.

"You saw me. That's a lot to just get over and not care about," he responded dryly and she rolled her eyes.

"Ike-"

"I'm serious," he said and she gave him a stern look.

"So am I." He stared at her for a minute longer before turning away, Zelda falling into step beside him once more.

"So I'll just go find me a blind girl who's also lost her sense of touch," he nodded and she let out an exasperated noise. "Know anyone that fits the bill? We'd be the most interesting couple in town with my limp."

"Ike!" she felt bad for laughing at that, but laugh she did. "You're awful."

"Usually people realize that much faster," he commented as they moved to her car. She paused by the drivers side, wondering why this felt normal.

"You want a ride?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Nah, I'll see you tomorrow," he waved and started to walk off.

"Ike!" she grabbed his arm and he turned back to face her, an eyebrow raised. She looped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. He tensed before she felt his arms carefully wrap around her and she smiled into his chest. "You can call or text me if you get bored," she said as she stepped back and he tilted his head.

"And give you another platform with which to annoy me?" he asked dryly and she scoffed.

"Don't be such a baby," she teased as she opened her car door, "you know you enjoy my company." She hopped in her car and gave him a wave as the engine turned over. "You sure you don't want a ride?"

"I'm good," he told her before turning and walking off, his limp pronounced but not as bad as the other day. She watched him move through the parking lot, a small smile on her lips.

This... whatever it was she had with Ike... she liked it.

XxX

Zelda finished up with the last of her homework, wondering what exactly she could talk Ike into the next morning. Shopping, lunch, and maybe if she pushed it they could hang out afterwards. She smiled at the thought, wondering if he was thinking about it too. Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it from her nightstand, her smile growing at the text from Link.

'Wanna hit the mall with me tomorrow?' She bit her lips together, knowing he was going to ask a million questions when she answered with the truth.

'I'm actually going tomorrow with Ike.'

'Say what now?' She laughed at that.

'I asked and eventually persuaded him to go. We're going to grab lunch and everything.'

'Is this a date? ;)' she rolled her eyes, happy no one could see her blush.

'No, just two coworkers hanging out on a shared day off.'

'Riiiiiiight...'

'Shut up!'

'You got it bad for him huh?'

'I don't have anything bad!'

Her phone buzzed and she stared at the text from the unknown number, a squeal leaving her lips. 'This is Ike. Go ahead and annoy me I'm bored while walking to job number two.'

'He's texting me!' she sent to Link and he sent a dozen kissy faces in return. She rolled her eyes and pulled up the message from Ike.

'I would hate to be accused of causing annoyance :P' she saved his number, grinning at her own cleverness. 'I'm putting you in my phone as grumpy old man'

'Gee thanks. You'll be... Dopey :P' she laughed at that, his use of a face making her really happy.

'I should be... That SUPER Pretty Lady Named Zelda'

'That won't fit. How about Annoying Zelda?'

'Zelda the Flawless'

'Zelda the Obnoxious'

'Zelda the Perfect'

'Zelda the Crazy'

'Zelda the Magnificent'

'Zelda the Unstable'

'Zelda the Best Ever'

'Zelda the Self Absorbed. There that fits'

'Hey now!' she pouted at that. 'Don't do that to me :('

'Zelda the Tolerable' she smiled at that, happy beyond belief that he would say that.

'I'll change that tomorrow, you'll put me in as Zelda the Best Ever!'

'Sure. Right. Gotta stop, at job number two.'

':( text me later!'

'We'll see :P' that last text made her smile and let out a small squeal.

"I'm getting through to you Ike," she smiled at her phone. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you're letting me in."

 **XXX**

 **So, how was that? I hope you enjoyed, because I enjoyed writing it. Special thanks to my two anonymous guests last chapter! Give yourselves a hug from me! Anyway, lemme know what you think. Much love, Leigh**


	4. Chapter 4

Five minutes into the third episode of Zelda's binge watching, her phone rang. She smiled to see Ike was calling her and immediately paused her show to answer. "Hey Grumpy!" she said cheerfully and he snorted.

"Do me a favor?" he practically gasped out the question.

"What do you need?" she asked immediately, hearing the pain in his voice.

"Just... just talk to me while I walk home. Keep me distracted," he hissed and Zelda frowned.

"Do you want me to come get you Ike?"

"No," he told her firmly.

"It's no trouble-"

"Zelda I don't think I could get in your car right now," he admitted and she nodded to herself.

"Okay, uh," she looked around her dorm, her eyes landing on her paused tv show. "What kind of tv shows do you like?"

"I don't watch much," he hissed into the phone and she nodded, brain scrambling. "Look, tell me anything, just keep talking please."

"Okay," she nodded, feeling all her words leave her brain. "Um, I'm excited to be done with college. I've still got a lot to go but this whole college experience thing is absolute crap... My roommates are obnoxious, constantly singing and trying to get me to go party."

"Why don't you?" he asked with a small groan in his tone.

"Because I'm not that kind of person?" she offered as she laid back on her bed, pursing her lips at the ceiling. "I don't like alcohol, it tastes like ass, I'm not interested in hook ups..."

"Too good for the average guy?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"No," she said firmly, "I just..." she hesitated, the truth about her ex posed on her tongue.

"Just what?" he prompted.

"I had this ex and," she took a deep breath, unsure why she was about to tell Ike her darkest secret, "he pushed it too far."

"What?" Ike's tone went from pained to angry in a flash.

"Yeah," she nodded and took a shaky breath. "He uh, we were on a date and things were great until he pushed it too far. I told him no but... it didn't stop him and he was a lot stronger than I thought."

"Zelda," Ike's tone was gentle as an sigh left his lips, "you can't blame yourself for some asshole's actions. You don't do you?"

"No," she shook her head and sighed.

"If I ever see that piece of shit I'm going to kick his ass," Ike's voice held so much conviction she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"You don't even know his name or what he looks like," she pointed out and he grunted.

"Doesn't matter, you tell me and he's gonna have a harder time walking than me," he growled and she smiled into the phone. She had just told him her biggest, darkest secret, and he wasn't treating her differently. He didn't think of her as a fragile glass statue, or a slut that let it happen... "Zelda? You suck at distractions come on," he hissed and she laughed lightly.

"Sorry, just the first time I've ever admitted to anyone that that happened," she replied sarcastically and he made a noise.

"Yeah? How long ago?" he asked and she looked down at her blankets pooled by the foot of her bed.

"A few months ago," she mumbled and Ike sighed.

"Shit, I thought you meant some high school dick bag. Look, gimme his name and he's not going to be able to walk. I mean that."

"Ike stop, it's fine. We broke up and he hasn't bothered me since..." she trailed off, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Zelda," he spoke once more in a gentle tone and she smiled despite the tears in her eyes, "hey, look I'm not the best for this kinda stuff and I know that but I... I'm here alright? If you need to talk or just sit and stare at a wall with someone I'm here and really good at that." She laughed at that, surprised by the offer.

"I thought I was just annoying to you," she reminded and he let out a huff.

"Yeah you're a pain in my ass but you're the least annoying pain in my ass that I have to put up with."

"I love how kind you are," she said dryly and he snorted.

"That's the first time I've been accused of being nice in a long time."

"Do you... Maybe wanna hang out?" she asked carefully, bracing herself for the answer to be no.

"What like right now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean since you're off work now."

"You actually want to hang out with me?" he asked and she bit her lips together.

"Yeah, I do."

"God and I thought I was messed up in the head," he grumpily said and she giggled.

"It's your winning personality, draws me in," she said in a faux serious tone.

"Ah yes, my super charming personality," he snorted. "Look, I don't think I'm going to be able to do much walking around after both jobs and it's kinda late-"

"I'm sorry you're right I-"

"And," he talked over her talking over him, "if you want me to not be limping around the mall with you, I should knock back some pills and just pass out."

"Okay," she tried not to sound disappointed by that, but obviously did when Ike sighed.

"I'm not trying to get out of hanging out with you, I promise okay? I'm seriously about halfway up the stairs and about to fall over."

"Do you need help Ike?" she asked softly, wondering why she was pushing this so much.

"No," he grunted into the phone, "just a new leg."

"Well I'll just hop down to the black market and get you one," she teased and he huffed. "Is that as close to a laugh from you that I'm going to get?" she asked curiously.

"Probably," he admitted, the one word pained.

"Why don't you have a place on the first floor?"

"I tried to get one, they were full already," he told her in a stiff voice.

"My dorm is on the second floor, which is thankfully the top floor because I think hearing people walk above me would weird me out," she commented and he snorted.

"It's not that bad unless they're really loud... There, I'm at my door," he added after a moment.

"Do you want me to let you go?" she asked, hoping he would say no.

"You still have my spare right?" he asked instead of answering her question.

"Yes! Sorry, I forgot to give it back-"

"It's fine," he spoke over her quickly. "You might as well keep it for now, that way if I ever lock myself out I can actually get back in." She smiled into her phone. This felt like a big step for him, he was trusting her with the keys to his place.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather give it to someone in your family?" she asked carefully and he snorted.

"No," he answered firmly.

"Okay, I was just-"

"Look I'm going to eat alright? What time are you getting here tomorrow?"

"Eight thirty?" she posed and heard the sound of him opening his front door.

"Cool, see you then... Bye Zelda."

"Bye," she said and ended the call, feeling a mix of emotions about everything. One part of her wanted to go straight to his place and bug him into letting her help. The other part wanted to sit there and plan out how to make the next day a perfect one.

Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked at the picture sent from Ike in confusion. There was a tiny pale white cat with a long tail wrapping around his leg, big wide eyes staring up at him.

'You have a cat?' she sent, definitely not remembering seeing any signs of an animal in his apartment the day before.

'This little fucker just followed me in like he owns the place!' The text made her laugh and she shook her head.

'No collar?'

'No and judging by the way it's going after my second burger I brought home from work I'd say it hasn't eaten properly in awhile.' She awwed in sadness and shook her head.

'Are you going to take it to a shelter?' She sent the message and looked around her room, deciding to pick out her outfit for the next day before she went to bed. As she opened the doors to her closet the phone buzzed in her hand and she stared at the picture from Ike, her heart practically exploding with how cute the picture was. The little kitten was curled up in a ball on Ike's bare chest, it's little tail wrapped up and covering it's little nose.

'I think I have a new roommate' the attached text said and she shook her head, trying to think of a good response to that as she dug through her closet.

"Acting all tough," she laughed to herself as she settled on a top, "but you're really a softie huh?" She settled on a nice pair of pants and decided to text him back.

'You're going to keep it?'

'Her name is Mew and yes. Mostly because I can't move right now without waking the princess.'

'Softie!' she sent as she sat on her bed, her mind flicking over what her dad had said about veterans taking in unwanted animals. Often kindred spirits of a sort, animals were usually very good for their veterans.

'Stop texting me you'll wake Mew!' She scoffed at that and another picture came through. She giggled at the tiny kitten, now stretched out lengthwise down Ike's torso, completely passed out on her back.

'She's adorable! I'm a little jealous' Zelda sent as she pulled back her covers to lay down.

'Jealous of me or the cat?' She froze at the text, her cheeks flooding red. She hadn't even thought of that but as she glanced at the picture again... she was very jealous of the kitten so comfortably laying on Ike's scarred chest.

'Going to bed, good night Ike. I'll see you and Mew tomorrow.'

'Nice dodge there Zelda. Good night.' She worried her lip between her teeth at that, wondering what it meant that he caught her dodge.

XxX

Zelda dressed quickly the next morning, wondering if Ike was awake already. She knew that he had trouble sleeping, so the odds of him being awake were in her favor. Deciding to air on the side of caution, she texted him.

'Hey are you up?' She sent the message, surprised at the swift response.

'Been up for awhile now.'

'How's Mew?'

'Eating all of my sandwich meat currently. I need to get her some cat food could we do that today?' Zelda smiled at that, a little blush coming to her cheeks.

'Sure. Is it okay with you if I come over? I'm ready to go.'

'Yeah. You can meet the troublemaker who's now attacking my socks.' She laughed at that as she grabbed her car keys and moved out of her dorm silently.

XxX

Zelda knocked on the door of Ike's apartment, bouncing on her feet a little. Today was going to be fun, and she was going to spend as much time as possible with Ike. The door opened and she smiled up at Ike, determined to keep her eyes from going down his bare torso. "Come on in," he nodded and let her in. Zelda stepped in and froze, a laugh working its way out of her throat at the little ball of fluff currently batting a balled up sock around the carpeted floors. "Mew," Ike called and the kitten froze. "Come here," he slapped his right leg and to Zelda's surprise the kitten bolted over to him and, to her stunned amazement, climbed up his leg and paused at the top of his pants. Ike scooped the ball of white fluff into one hand and the kitten mewed at him. "Say hi to Zelda."

"Hi there," Zelda spoke in a soft tone as she reached a hand out carefully to touch the kitten. She let her sniff her fingers, a smile coming to her lips. "She's adorable."

"Don't listen to her," Ike whispered to the kitten. "You're a pain in the ass just like her." Zelda scoffed and watched Ike press a kiss to the kitten's head.

"You've really warmed up to her," Zelda commented and Ike snorted as he let the kitten jump from his hand to the floor where she continued her attack on the sock.

"I can't exactly help it," he admitted, his eyes flicking over Zelda. "Honestly it kinda scares me."

"What does?" Zelda asked, curious what he found scary about the kitten.

"Getting attached to something again," he said in a careful tone. "I haven't... in a long time."

"Ike," she put a hand on his arm, right on top of a raised scar, "that's a good thing. There's nothing wrong with forming attachments to animals or people." He stared at her for a second, his eyes searching her face.

"Yeah, that's why you scare me too," he told her and she couldn't help but smile at that.

"Ike I told you I'm not-"

"I've heard that dozens of times Zelda," he told her gruffly as he pulled his arm away from her fingers, "and look where I am."

"I don't know what you've been through," Zelda said firmly as she stepped into his path, "and I'm not going to pretend to understand. However I know one thing for certain and that's that no matter what I'm not going to randomly decide I want nothing to do with you." She searched his face, watched a dozen emotions flash across his eyes, before she stepped against him and hugged him. She buried her face in his bare chest, her hands resting against scars across his back. She turned her face and her cheek brushed against a rough patch. He tensed in her grip and she decided that showing him they didn't bother her was best. She turned her lips to the rough skin graft and pressed a gentle kiss there before stepping back. "Now go get dressed, we should buy some stuff for Mew before we can hit the mall." He stared at her, his eyes wide as his mouth worked silently for a second. "Ike?" she called his name warily and he jumped.

"Yeah," he nodded and moved away from her, Mew pouncing on his toes as he moved to the bathroom. "You little shit," he said, his tone lighter than Zelda had ever heard before. She giggled as he scooped the kitten up and carried it with him, the duo vanishing into his bathroom.

XxX

Fifteen minutes later and Zelda found herself pushing a cart with Ike walking beside her, the store down the road from his apartment relatively quiet. "So cat food, bowls..." They stopped in front of the dozens of bags of cat food and Ike scowled.

"How many choices do cats need?" he asked and she shook her head. "Well," he grabbed a bag that promised barbecue flavors, "she likes burgers so maybe this'll strike her fancy."

"You should get her this bowl," Zelda beamed at him as she held up a hot pink bowl with the word princess printed in a sparkly silver.

"I don't exactly want her to have an attitude about it," he informed Zelda as he grabbed a black plastic bowl with the words Cool Cat printed in white. "There, not too ego boosting." She giggled and Ike looked at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. "What?"

"You're really cute when cat shopping," she offered and he narrowed his eyes.

"I'm going to get her a toy," he said as he turned around to look at the wall of toys, his lips twisting. Zelda finally looked as well, her eyes landing on a mouse that would scoot around on its own. She plucked it from the wall and Ike scowled at the price.

"I'm going to get her this," Zelda said firmly, "try and stop me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said in a mock serious tone. He grabbed a pack of jingle balls and tossed them in the cart.

"Are you going to get her a litter box?"

"No," Ike shook his head. "I don't think I could get down low enough to clean it every day." Zelda nodded at that and began to push the cart out of the aisle. He followed, grabbing another feathery tailed blob of fabric for Mew as they went. Zelda smiled at nothing as they moved, her eyes landing on a display of cheap necklaces set up for the upcoming holidays. A two necklace set caught her eye, the split heart proclaiming best friends making her snicker.

"What?" Ike asked curiously and she shook her head as she grabbed it and added the necklace to her gift for Mew. "Who's that for?" he asked suspiciously and she beamed at him. "I'm not wearing that."

"But Ike," she pouted dramatically and he rolled his eyes.

"No."

"Ike please?" she begged sweetly and his scowl deepened. She beamed at him as they made it to a check out line and he didn't say a word as her items went first. Even though he let out a world weary sigh as she swiped her card, the way he stared at her when they handed her the bag told her he wasn't really all that annoyed.

One quick trip back to his apartment later and Zelda found herself falling in love with the tiny kitten even more. They set up the food and water bowls, Zelda laughing in absolute delight as the white fur ball chased after the mouse. "She's so cute!"

"Here," Ike held out the necklace still on the card stock backer and she blushed as she took it. As she worked it from the package Ike slapped his leg and Mew crawled up again.

"You be a good girl okay?" he said firmly as the kitten crawled up to his chest and let out a soft mewl. "No parties, no catnip..." Zelda finished getting the chains from the backer and looked to see Ike give the small ball of fur clinging to his chest a soft kiss between her ears. He pulled back and Zelda almost gasped at the little grin that curled up one corner of his lips. Ike, the stoic, never smiling man who said he couldn't remember the last time he had smiled, was grinning at the kitten. He glanced her way as the kitten went back to attacking the mouse, his grin still lingering, and she couldn't help but blush at him.

"What?" he asked curiously and she shook her head as she held out his necklace.

"For you," she beamed at him and he stepped over to her, his grin still there. He stopped before her and leaned his head down, Zelda nervously taking the opportunity to clasp the thin chain around his neck. Maybe she stepped closer than necessary to him, maybe she breathed in his faint lingering scent of body wash, and maybe she was tempted to kiss the neck so openly bared to her, but that was her secret. He moved back when the clasp closed and she held up her own. He took the delicate chain and carefully moved her hair as he slid it around her neck. Zelda watched his determined face as he focused on working the tiny clasp, a smile creeping up her lips.

"There," he whispered as he released her hair slowly.

"Thanks," she whispered back, wishing she had the courage to press a kiss to his lips. She knew it would be catastrophic, the consequences severe if he didn't think of her that way, so she resisted the urge and stepped back. "Let's hit the mall!" she said with a slightly forced smile and he nodded.

"One store," he held up one finger and Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ike I'm aware of what I promised," she said with a fake sneer. "Now come on!" She gripped his arm and hauled him towards the door, his huff making her smile again.

XxX

The mall was bustling with people when they finally stepped inside. The ride had been spent picking songs off of their phones, Zelda quite proud that his was now synced to her car's Bluetooth. They moved past the first few shops, Zelda unthinkingly wrapping her arm around Ike's as they went, pulling him close as they walked.

They were walking past a window display of a clothing store and she froze, eyes wide at the sight of a men's leather jacket hanging on a mannequin. "Ike!" she squealed in delight.

"What?" he looked down at her and she pointed at the jacket. "The jacket?"

"You should try it on!" she said excitedly, already picturing how good it would look on him.

"What? No, I'm not trying that on," he told her and she scoffed.

"Why not?"

"Because that's a douchebag store and I have a leather jacket already at home," he explained and she looked up at him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "You don't believe me?"

"I don't know if I should," she responded and he snorted.

"Alright look, I'll show you when you take me back I promise, but I'm not trying that one on." She rolled her eyes and he let out a huff. "One store remember?"

"Fine," she sighed the word and they continued, her arm still wrapped around his. Together they moved, Zelda happily pretending that they were probably how they looked to the casual observer. Walking how they were, her smiling up at him... She caught a glimpse of their reflection in a shop window and blushed. They looked just like the countless other couples around them.

 **XXX**

 **This felt like a good place to stop, though there is more to their shopping experience. I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far and continue to stick around for more! Special thanks to my reviewers last chapter: concisponci, Purple Mercenary, guest, and Sidhmeril! The alerts seriously make my day and I don't think you could possibly understand how much. Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	5. Chapter 5

"Zelda, they're boots, they all look the same to me," Ike grumbled from his spot on the bench as Zelda stood before him in her fourth pair.

"C'mon Ike," she begged as she turned around in a slow circle, "I need an honest opinion!"

"You do realize I'm not exactly the best to go to for fashion advice?" he asked dryly and she shrugged.

"I need to know which pair is the most flattering for my legs," she said as she took the seat beside him and slipped off the tan boots.

"There's no way to tell you that without sounding like I'm checking you out," he pointed out and she blushed as she slid on a pair of black boots.

"I promise I won't cry out sexual harassment. Now," she stood up and walked forward a few steps, liking the feel of them, "what about these?" She turned around and found Ike's eyes roaming down her legs, making her feel very self conscious.

"Yeah," he nodded after a long moment of looking, "those uh, do the trick."

"What trick?" she asked with a nervous smile and he looked up at her for a silent moment.

"They look good," he told her, his eyes flicking down her legs once more. "I'd suggest you get them."

"How do I know this isn't just to get out of sitting there for longer?" she countered with a cheeky smile and he snorted.

"I suppose you don't," he shrugged with his words. "But I'd recommend getting those because I'm not lying when I say the slight heel makes your legs look a little longer and with those jeans? It's hard not to stare at your ass." He said everything in such a blunt manner it took a second for everything to register. Once it did Zelda blushed and sat back down beside him on the bench, working the boots off her feet.

"Then I guess I'll get these," she said after a moment and he tilted his head.

"I'd recommend it," he told her, something sparkling in his eyes that made her heart speed up. "So, this is your one store, you remember that right?" He raised an eyebrow and Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ike, I remember," she elbowed him in the ribs and he huffed. "Is there anywhere you wanted to go?" she asked as she slipped her sandals back on, the weather once more unseasonably warm.

"At the mall? No, not at all."

"C'mon Ike," she pouted at him, "not even to look at some new shirts?"

"Zelda I practically live in my two work uniforms, my clothes don't get worn out."

"What about some new sweatpants for bumming around your apartment?" she offered and he gave her a look.

"I can get them far cheaper at the superstore down the road from my apartment."

"What about something for Mew?" she asked with a knowing smirk. "There's a cute little pet boutique on the second floor." He narrowed his eyes at her for that and she winked as she stood up with her soon to be new pair of boots.

"We can stop in, but I probably can't afford to buy her anything from there," he grumbled as he got to his feet carefully. Zelda beamed at him as she looped her arm through his to go pay for her boots.

XxX

They moved out of the shoe place, Zelda smiling at nothing as they walked arm in arm towards the escalator. She looked at the shops around them, wondering if she could talk him into anything else while they were there. He obviously didn't like clothes shopping, but maybe a trip to the...

Her thoughts stopped as she saw him. Her ex, the one that pushed things too far, coming out of a store a few doors down. She paled and immediately pulled Ike into the nearest shop. He grunted at the sudden change in direction and she gave him an apologetic smile as they moved farther into the store. Ike froze about five steps in and turned her to face him.

"You trying to tell me something here?" he asked with a serious expression and Zelda only then realized she had dragged them into a maternity store. She blushed and shook her head, her eyes darting to the front door as her ex walked past. Ike turned to the door, watched what Zelda watched, and turned back to face her. "Zelda, is that him?"

"Ike," she barely breathed his name and Ike's scowl deepened.

"Fucker's dead," he growled as he moved out of the store quickly.

"Ike!" Zelda tried to grab his hand, only to have it slip out of hers. Ike stalked out of the store and she was surprised at how fast he moved, silent and stealthy, behind her ex. "Ike!" she tried to once more desperately grab at his hand but Ike was obviously having none of it as he caught up to her ex and gripped the man by the back of the neck. Zelda paled as Ike forced him to keep walking, the duo heading down the hallway leading to the bathrooms.

"Who the hell are you?!" her ex demanded as she rounded the corner. Her stomach churned at the sight of him but she approached anyway, wanting to stop Ike from doing something crazy.

"You know what you've done," Ike growled out just as Zelda caught up with them. Her ex's brown eyes met hers and he snorted.

"Is this about that ridiculous misunderstanding between me and her?"

"Misunderstanding?" Ike sneered the word and her ex drew himself up to his full height.

"Look I don't know what your little girlfriend here has told you," he said in his smooth voice that Zelda had fallen for, "but it wasn't even a good fuck so-" Ike leapt forward, his fist connecting with the ex's jaw. Zelda gasped in shock, unused to seeing anything like that in person. Her ex staggered back.

"This is what's going to happen," Ike growled out as he stepped right up to the now stunned man, "you're going to fucking vanish. Nothing can undo what you've done, but the least you can do is get the hell away from her." Zelda stared at Ike, amazed by him.

"That's a bit unrealistic," her ex sneered, "we go to the same college."

"Transfer dipshit," Ike growled out between gritted teeth, "because if I see you again or she tells me she does, I will do a hell of a lot more than one punch." Her ex laughed and Ike tensed.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" he laughed and shoved Ike's chest, the ex military man not even budging. "You're nothing."

"Ike," Zelda called his name, wanting to just go, but Ike let out the most chilling chuckle she had ever heard in her life and tilted his head.

"You know what? You're right. I am nothing, and I've got nothing to live for. So if you're trying to threaten me, go ahead. You think your rich daddy's people scare me? You don't know what I've survived and what I've done. I have killed people with my bare hands," Ike said in an eerily calm voice as he stepped somehow even closer to her ex. "I've tortured people, I've slit other's throats in their sleep, I've had people who are far tougher than you beg me for death," Ike gripped his shirt and pulled him closer, putting them nose to nose. "You really wanna test me? Go ahead, I've got nothing to lose." Zelda stared at Ike, not doubting for a second that he was speaking the truth, but her heart breaking for him even more. She looked to her ex, saw him weighing his options, and then nod once.

"Alright, let me go," he said softly. "I don't believe you, nice try."

"Huh," Ike nodded once and in a blur Zelda's brain couldn't resister, her ex was on the ground, Ike's hands around his throat as he crouched over him. "This convince you? Or do I need to do something more?" Her ex wheezed and Ike let up on the pressure.

"Fuck," he gasped down air and Ike snorted.

"Get out of my sight, and be nothing but a bad memory to her. You've got twenty four hours," with that Ike stood up and moved back to Zelda. She stared at him, shocked beyond belief, and he kept walking, his angry expression falling into one of dismay. He moved past her, Zelda still having trouble processing everything she had just witnessed and learned about the scarred man walking away.

"Ike?" she moved to catch up with him, once more impressed with how fast he could move through the growing crowd at the mall. She finally caught up to him and, without saying a word, slid her hand into his. Together they moved to the exit, hand in hand, Zelda wondering what was going to happen next.

XxX

They were halfway to her car in the parking lot when Ike slowed to a stop. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned for his leg.

"Are you?" he counter asked and she stared up at him, her eyes searching his tired expression.

"No one has ever done anything like that for me," she spoke softly as she squeezed their entwined fingers. "I don't even know how to say thank you." He shrugged it off and she scoffed before she stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. He stared at her, eyes wide, as she continued to walk towards her car. "What sounds good for lunch?" she asked as they moved, deciding to just move past the situation. He didn't like discussing his military life and if she asked she knew she'd be pushing it.

"Something cheap," he said with a sigh. "Mew kinda threw off my budget for the month." She nodded at that and looked up at him.

"She's worth it though I mean, that sweet little face? And she's just so cute!" Ike rolled his eyes and Zelda slapped his stomach gently with her free hand. "You know you love her already," she teased and he shrugged.

"She's alright." Zelda felt his fingers tighten around hers and reflexively she squeezed back, a smile coming to her lips when he looked down at her. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you wasting your day off hanging out with me, why do you even remotely care, why are you holding my hand... Pick any of them," he shrugged and she blushed as she looked down at the parking lot beneath her feet. "Why?"

"Because I like hanging out with you," she finally said, not wanting to elaborate further.

"Zelda I'm an asshole to everyone-"

"Not to me," she cut in.

"Yeah I am actually," he fired back, "you're just too stubborn to realize it."

"I like to think that you secretly love my positive attitude," she said just as they reached her car. They paused beside the drivers side door and she looked up at him, noting the way his eyes were searching her face for something. "What?" she asked softly and he leaned his head towards hers. Zelda tensed, wondering if he was going to kiss her.

"It scares me," he whispered softly, his eyes halfway closed.

"What does?" she asked just as quietly.

"Caring. Trying. Socializing. I'm not a well put together guy Zelda, and I don't understand how you can want to hang out with me."

"Because," she whispered, wondering if this would be a good time to steal a kiss, "I happen to like the man beneath the scars and the snappy remarks... You're more than that Ike, and I know it." He surprised her by leaning his forehead against hers for a moment, the whole situation almost surreal for Zelda.

"I don't know if I am," he whispered into the small space between them before pulling back swiftly, startling Zelda.

"Well I do," she said with conviction as he walked to the passenger side. He hesitated before opening the door and sitting down, Zelda catching the upwards twitch of his lips as he did.

XxX

They decided to just hit the drive thru of the nearest burger joint with a dollar menu. Ike ordered a plethora of food, refusing to let Zelda pay for any of it. The drive back to his apartment was spent giving each other a lot of good natured jabs about music tastes. Ike's music was all rock, hers a mix of bands from various genres.

They climbed the stairs to Ike's apartment, Ike wincing slightly by the time they made it to the third floor. She didn't say anything about it, but she watched him for any signs of stumbling. Finally they made it to his door and she unlocked it with her key, a white ball of fur rushing out to greet them.

"Hey Mew," Ike almost cooed at the kitten as she leapt up his pant leg and began climbing. "Did you miss me?" Zelda watched as the kitten climbed up and nestled on his shoulder, rubbing her tiny face against his cheek.

"I think that's a yes," she commented as they moved into the apartment. Ike sat on the bed, the kitten immediately hopping down to investigate the bag of food. "Or she just missed her food source." Ike huffed at that and gave Zelda a middle finger before slapping his bed.

"Come on, we can watch something." She blushed for no reason as she sat beside him, surprised when Mew came up to her. She ran her hand down the soft white fur, a smile coming to her lips. "Well now I feel less special," Ike said and Zelda laughed.

"She can like me too Ike, I did buy her a nice toy," she pointed out and Ike rolled his eyes.

"But she's my little pain in the ass, aren't you Mew?" he poked the kitten's side and the white fur ball immediately turned her attention back to him. Zelda watched the way Ike ran a hand lovingly down the kitten's back and giggled. "What?" Ike looked up at her, his expression curious.

"The two of you are just too cute," she explained and Ike rolled his eyes. Zelda watched him stand with a slight wince and immediately leapt to her feet. "What do you need?" she asked quickly and he sighed as he kept moving.

"Just grabbing a beer, you want one?"

"Yeah," she nodded, watching him walk to the kitchen and open the fridge. "Just the one though, I have to drive back to my dorm later."

"You know," Ike said as he popped the caps off two bottles, "legally you shouldn't have this you whippersnapper."

"Oh don't be grumpy gramps," she fired back and he huffed as he moved back over to her. She took the offered beer and he sat down, divvying up the food. "How old are you?" she asked carefully as he took a drag from the bottle.

"I turned twenty nine about five months ago," he told her as he lowered the beer.

"You are an old fart," she teased and he glared.

"I feel like one most of the time," he said after a moment, his eyes roaming his bedside table. "But c'mon it's only nine years." She smiled at that, not minding the age gap at all. He picked up a remote and turned on the tv across the room, the icons of various streaming services popping up. "What do you want to watch?"

"Something funny," she proclaimed as she unwrapped her first ever dollar menu burger.

"I've got just the show."

XxX

Two hours later and Zelda was laying with Ike on his bed, her sides aching from laughing so hard at the show. Ike had let Mew out awhile ago and now the white fur ball was back and curled up on Ike's chest, a soft purr emanating from her. Zelda moved closer to the lounging Ike to pet the snoozing kitten as another episode loaded, feeling Ike's eyes on her. "She's so precious," Zelda whispered and Ike nodded, looking at her with the corner of his lips lightly raised.

"Yeah, I'm glad she invited herself in... I never would've thought of getting a cat. She's kinda reminds me of you."

"How's that?" Zelda asked in amusement.

"Shoved her way into my life, didn't take no for an answer, and now..." he trailed off and Zelda gave him a knowing smile.

"Now you can't picture your life without her or me?" she offered and he shrugged.

"Do me a favor Zelda?" he asked hesitantly.

"What?"

"Don't quit. You actually make the job bearable." She beamed at him and cuddled closer to him on the bed, happy when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The moment was so perfect, so peaceful, Zelda never wanted it to end.

XxX

She ended up staying far later than she intended, insisting on ordering pizza to make up for taking over his entire day off. He rolled his eyes at her for saying that but didn't object to the free food so Zelda counted both as points in her favor. They watched the same show well into the evening, eating pizza on the bed side by side.

After the pizza was devoured Zelda checked her phone, shocked that it was somehow past ten o'clock. Ike must've noticed her shock because he sighed and paused the show. "You wanna head back to your dorm?" She bit her lips together, knowing she should leave before she got too tired to make the drive back. One glance at Ike with Mew curled up on his chest decided her fate for her.

"No, I can't leave in the middle of an episode," she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world and he snorted as he hit play. He held out his arm and she gladly took the offered space.

She didn't mean to fall asleep with Ike's arm around her shoulders, didn't mean to wrap an arm around his waist, and definitely didn't mean for him to doze off not long after her, but that's exactly what happened.

 **XXX**

 **I just want to say thank you to all of my amazing reviewers last chapter. I got a lot of feedback on the pet thing, and honestly I wasn't sure how well that would be received because most veterans get dogs. I know a guy who was in the army that came back different and he didn't start to act like himself until he found a stray cat that had just had a litter of kittens. Almost overnight he was doing better, and that's what I've based Mew on. So thank you so much Guest (x2), Purple Mercenary (my phone wants you to be Mercenaries for some reason and I always have to change that!), concisponci (my new phone knows you now and tries to replace every word that starts with con with your name), Sidhmeril (of course I'd mention you by name! Your review made my day!), and Sneakity (I'm so happy I introduced you to Zike and I'm honored to be an open tab for over a year! That's seriously the best compliment I've ever gotten!). I say it a lot but seriously the reviews make my day and I smile like a maniac to get the alerts. I hope you're all having a merry Christmas season (no matter what you celebrate) and I hope to see you for the next chapter. Love, Leigh**


	6. Chapter 6

Zelda woke to the startling sensation of Ike thrashing in his sleep beside her. The fog cleared from her brain quickly and she tried to remember everything she had ever learned about people having night terrors or nightmares. Waking them, especially someone with PTSD, could be very bad, so she tried just talking softly.

"Ike," she whispered, "I'm here, you're safe." His hand moved along the bed and she grabbed it, lacing their fingers. He gripped her hand tightly, bordering on painfully, and she grimaced as he thrashed again. "Ike, it's okay. It's me, Zelda." He stilled at that and to Zelda's relief and slight embarrassment he moved closer to her, burying his face in her shoulder. He mumbled something against her skin and she blushed as she let her eyes close once more, their hands still entwined.

XxX

An alarm pulled Zelda from her sleep, Ike grunting as he sat up. "What time is it?" she asked with a whine and he huffed.

"Time for me to go to work," he told her as he stood up. She watched him stretch, a sleepy smile curling up her lips. Then it dawned on her that she was in his apartment and he might not want her there without him. She sat up and he turned to her. "What's up?"

"I was gonna get up and go-"

"You can stay here," he shrugged his shoulders as he moved towards his bathroom. "Just feed Mew before you go." She smiled at that, watching the white fluff ball chase after Ike. "What time does your class start?"

"Ten," she called out as she laid back down on the bed, loving the warm spot he left behind.

"If you wanna stay I'll be back from work before you need to leave," he told her as he came back into view, Zelda completely unprepared for the sight of Ike finishing zipping up his pants, his shirt flung over his shoulder. "Just in case I'm not," he paused as he pulled his shirt over his head, "you have the spare key."

"Do you have to go in to your second job today?" she asked and he nodded. "Where do you work?"

"There's a restaurant down the road from here," he gestured vaguely towards the door as he shoved his feet into his shoes. "I wash dishes and help with cleanup."

"Do you get to sit?" she asked as Mew came bounding into view. Ike slapped his leg and Zelda watched the kitten as she began to climb.

"Yeah, they have a stool for me when I need it," he said in a soft tone as Mew clung to his chest. "Hey little shit," he kissed her nose. "Be good, let Zelda sleep okay?" Zelda smiled as the kitten mewed in response. Ike pressed another kiss to her tiny head and pulled her from his shirt. Mew attacked one of his fingers and he huffed as he set her on the bed. "I'll be back okay?" he told both of them and Zelda nodded with a small smile as he moved to the door.

"Have fun Ike," she called and he snorted.

"Oh yeah, so much fun." The door shut behind him and Zelda relaxed on the pillows, Mew coming up to lay down beside her.

"Hi baby," she said softly as she ran a hand over the kitten. "Let's go back to sleep yeah?"

XxX

Zelda's own alarm on her phone pulled her out of bed at eight o'clock. She smiled at nothing as she got out of Ike's bed, Mew already running to the front door. "You wanna go outside baby?" she asked and the responding loud meow made her laugh. With a yawn Zelda moved to the door and opened it, watching the ball of fluff shoot outside and down the stairs. She shook her head and shut the door, turning to look at the rest of the apartment.

The pizza box and empty beer bottles were on the floor by the bed, a modest stack of plates lay in the sink, and she couldn't help the giggle that left her lips at the pair of boxers half kicked under the bed. "Guess I can at least clear up my part of the mess," she mused before moving to the pizza box.

After tossing the pizza box and beer bottles Zelda found herself completely bored and glanced around the kitchen. Ike didn't have a coffee pot or anything, so she opened a few of the cabinets, wondering if he had instant coffee hidden somewhere. She paused as she opened the one set to the left of the stove, the picture taped there catching her off guard. It was of Ike standing in between two women, and Ike's big smile made her smile reflexively. He was dressed in standard issue marine fatigues, his blue hair buzzed short under his hat. Zelda looked curiously at the two women, noting one had hair the exact same color as Ike, and the other had reddish brown hair but shared some of the facial features of the blue haired woman. Marth's words about him having a mother and sister came back to her and stared at the bright smile of Ike, her heart breaking once again for him. He looked so happy, so carefree, as he stood there.

"What happened to you Ike?" she asked the question to the empty apartment around her as she shut the cabinet. A scratching sound and meow from outside the front door pulled her from thinking about the loss of that beautiful smile in the world and she moved to open it. "I hear you," she cooed as she opened the door and the white kitten ran inside. The fluff ball stopped at her feet and Zelda bent to pick her up.

"Hi baby," she spoke in a soft tone as the kitten proceeded to rub her face all over hers. "You're definitely a cuddle bug huh?" She carried the kitten back to the bed and set her down, watching as the tiny little thing vanished under the covers. "I was going to make this bed you know," she said as she poked around on top of the blanket. The bump under the bed responded and moved to attack, Zelda laughing as she pulled her hand back. "Vicious little girl," she said as she planted her hand on the other side of the bed. The bump moved immediately and that's how Zelda spent her time.

XxX

The front door opened and Zelda smiled at Ike as he walked in. "Hey," she greeted from her spot on the bed, Mew chasing after a jingling ball on the floor.

"Hey," Ike said back and the kitten immediately stopped chasing the ball in favor of running over to Ike. "Did you miss me princess?" he asked as he slapped his leg.

"What time is it?" Zelda asked quickly, suddenly remembering that she had a class at ten.

"Eight forty five," he responded around the kitten rubbing her face all over his.

"Crap I should go so I can shower before class," Zelda said as she stood up and Ike nodded once.

"Makes sense," he added after he let Mew get settled on his shoulder. "I'd say use mine but you don't have any clean clothes." He moved farther into the apartment, his comment making Zelda blush. She then noticed his slight limp and scowled as she got off the bed.

"What time do you go into work?" she asked as he moved towards the bathroom.

"I have to be there around nine thirty to make sure they're ready for customers as soon as they open at eleven," he called as he moved. He vanished into the bathroom area and poked his head out a moment later. "What're you thinking?" he asked suspiciously and she smiled.

"That I should offer you a ride," she admitted and he snorted.

"I'm fine," he vanished again, only to reappear a moment later with a black long sleeve shirt in hand. "It's just a short walk and then I get to sit on my ass and do dishes all day." He slid the shirt over his head and Zelda smiled at him. "What?"

"You don't need to act tough around me Ike. If you need a ride-"

"I'm fine," he spoke in a gruff tone but Zelda wasn't buying it. She poked his chest with her finger and he caught her hand, making Zelda give him a guilty smile.

"I don't always believe you when you say that," she admitted and he shrugged, his hand lowering hers.

"Can I ask you something?" he posed awkwardly, his eyes on their hands.

"Yeah," Zelda responded, her heart speeding up.

"Did I... say or do anything weird last night?" he asked as he looked up at her, worry written across his features.

"You had a nightmare or something," she admitted, "but I held your hand and talked you into calming down... You cuddled up with me pretty closely after that." He blushed and huffed, making Zelda giggle and poke his cheek with her free hand. "Are you blushing Grumpy?"

"Shut up," he said as he grabbed her other hand and pulled her against him. Zelda melted against his chest, a sigh of content leaving her lips as he let go of her hands to hug her. "But thank you."

"What for?" she asked curiously and he let out a heavy sigh.

"For not letting it scare you off," he admitted softly and she wrapped her arms around him.

"You don't scare me Ike," she insisted as she looked up at him. "You never have and never will."

"It's... bothered people before," he told her haltingly.

"Who?" she dared to ask and he looked away, his eyes unfocused. "I'm sorry Ike, it's not any of-"

"My mom," he whispered and Zelda stopped talking immediately. "She insisted I stay with her after I was shipped home. I was a lot worse then and," he drew a shaky breath and Zelda held him tighter. "I had a bad night, she tried to wake me, and... I uh, I woke up to my hands around her neck." Zelda couldn't help the sharp inhale at that and he stepped away from her. "She was scared of me, wouldn't look me in the eye, told me to leave... we haven't talked since."

"Ike," Zelda took his hand and squeezed his fingers, "you can't help what you went through-"

"And that excuses what I did?" he asked in a shaky voice. Zelda pulled him back into her arms, making his head rest on her shoulder.

"You can't blame yourself," she whispered as she ran a hand soothingly over his back, feeling scars through the fabric. "I don't know what you went through while overseas but nothing about you recovering from that is your fault." He drew in a shaky breath, the following exhale warm against her neck. She turned her face to his and kissed his cheek gently.

"God you're too nice to me," he said as he stepped back, emotions in his eyes that Zelda wanted to talk about. She opened her mouth to do so, only for her phone to ding in her pocket. That broke whatever spell had been cast over them and Ike's neutral mask fell back into place. He turned away from her, heading back towards his bathroom. Zelda glared at her phone as she read the text from Link, asking her where she was.

'I'll be back on campus soon. I'm at Ike's.' She hit send and walked over to the open bathroom door. Ike was standing at the sink, toothbrush in hand. Her phone dinged and Ike glanced her way.

'It's early to just be getting there. Did you happen to spend the night? ;)' she blushed and lowered her phone, finding Ike's eyes on her through the mirror.

"I think my friend misunderstood what context I spent the night here under," she told the reflection awkwardly. Ike snorted and spat out the foamy toothpaste.

"Most people would," he added after a moment. "In the future I'd amend the story a bit. Saying you stayed the night when you're two adults..." he shrugged and stuck the toothbrush back in his mouth. Zelda blushed, not really minding the misunderstanding.

'Not like that Link!' she sent before looking at Ike. 'Though I wouldn't mind.' Just admitting it to someone felt good, and the way Ike caught her eye in the mirror once more... she blushed and shook her head.

"I should get going," she said firmly and he nodded as he rinsed off his toothbrush and set it by the sink. He cupped some water into his hand and brought it to his lips, Zelda watching as he swished it around before spitting it out into the sink.

"Is my toothbrushing that interesting?" he asked dryly as he turned his attention back to her. She blushed as he walked up to her. To her surprise he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led them out of the bathroom.

"You can text me," she said as they moved to his front door, "if you get bored."

"Alright," he nodded and she pulled him to her with a smile.

"Or call," she added and he snorted. She looked up at him, at the way his eyes sparkled as he looked down at her, and stood on her toes. She kissed his slightly stubbled cheek and stepped from the embrace. "Oh," she remembered with a wicked grin on her lips, "you need to show me that leather jacket sometime." He snorted, the corners of his lips slightly pulled up, and she beamed as her heart thundered in her chest.

"I don't owe you shit," he said as she opened the door.

"You owe me that," she called over her shoulder as she stepped out into the morning light.

"Next time it's cold," he fired back as she started to shut the door and she stole one more glance at him. The corners of his lips were still pulled up in an almost smile and she couldn't help hers as she shut the door. Ike could deny everything he wanted, but she had put that smile on his face.

XxX

Zelda's classes were boring, and the second they were done Link texted her. 'Meet me at the sandwich shop in Kirby Hall.' She groaned, knowing he was going to want to discuss the evening spent with Ike, but moved to go meet him anyway. Honestly she wanted to discuss Ike with someone. He was... beyond what she had first expected him to be, and now that she had glimpsed the man behind the mask she wanted to know everything. And, in the spirit of complete honesty, she wanted to be more than his coworker. The thought was a little scary, but she hadn't felt this way about anyone since her ex.

"Zelda!" Link's voice was excited as he ran up to her. "Details. All of them. Right now." She smiled at him as they fell into step.

"We hit the mall, he helped me pick out my boots, he threatened my ex-"

"What?" Link looked shocked by that and she groaned. Link didn't know the truth, only Ike did. It should have bothered her more that her best friend since childhood knew less than Ike, but she knew Link would treat her differently if he knew, just as everyone else would. Ike was the only person that she had felt comfortable telling, and she stood by that decision for now.

"And we spent the rest of the day, afternoon, and evening at his place watching tv," she said instead of explaining further. "I ended up falling asleep and woke up to him getting up for work this morning."

"You said you wanted it to be what it sounded like," he commented causally. "Does he feel the same?"

"Goddesses Link I wish I knew," she sighed. "I mean, I think so, but he's such an enigma I don't know for sure."

"I wanna meet him," Link said with a smile. "I can tell easily."

"That's going to be hard to do-"

"Why don't you video call me at work?" Link offered and Zelda sighed as she thought it over.

"I don't think that'll work," she finally decided. "I could only do that on break and he goes outside with the manager."

"So go outside," Link stated like it was obvious.

"Maybe," she said as she mulled the idea over in her mind. Link had always been able to tell when someone was interested, so she could definitely use the help since Ike wasn't the most social person. "I'll try but I don't know if the manager will let me outside with them."

"Just actually try so you know," Link said and she nodded, blushing slightly at his determination. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket as they joined the line for food and she pulled it out.

'Is it wrong to use the fact that the chef is attracted to me to get free food?' the text from Ike sent a spike of jealousy through her system.

'Depends on what you do to get the free food' she sent back with a scowl.

'I let her gawk and don't say a word about it.' Relief flooded her and she blushed at how childish getting jealous like that was.

'As long as you don't flirt with her and lead her on.'

'Not my type. I can't fake flirt with someone I'm not interested in.' She bit her lips together at that.

'What is Ike's type?' she sent the message then paid attention to ordering her lunch, a simple garden salad with ranch sounding perfect.

"Are you texting him?" Link asked as they moved to pay for their food.

"Yeah, he started it," she admitted with a blush and Link rolled his eyes.

"From the basic information I have, I think he's interested." She shook her head as she swiped her card and grabbed her salad, her eyes hunting for a free table. She found one and the duo moved to it, her phone buzzing before she even sat down.

'My type is too good for me in my current mental and physical state.' She frowned at that.

'I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that.'

'Did you dissuade your friend of what happened last night?' Ike's text made her blush.

'Nice subject dodge and yes.' She turned her attention to an amused looking Link sitting across from her.

"Shut up," she warned and he grinned.

"You've got it bad," he teased and she rolled her eyes. "I say go for it, but if you wanna be certain he feels the same, call me at work and I'll know for sure."

"I think I will," she said distractedly, wondering if this would turn out the way she wanted or not.

 **XXX**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I owe you Qoh22 a huge apology for missing your review for chapter 4, but thank you for reviewing both 4 and 5! And to my reviewers last chapter: Qoh22 (yes I'm saying it again because I don't want to miss thanking you ever again!), Sidhmeril (for two, I've had reviews do that too. My old phone got post happy), and concisponci as always because you get everything I put in and I love you for it! Thanks for reviewing, reading, and I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday no matter what you do or don't celebrate. Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	7. Chapter 7

The next day for work dawned early, but Zelda nervously greeted the day. She dressed quickly, pulled her hair back into a quick and simple braid, and left her room. After tiptoeing past a passed out person on the couch she was pretty sure wasn't even one of her roommates, Zelda was met with chilly morning air. She contemplated going back in to grab her jacket, but decided against it and moved towards the stairs.

The drive to work was spent trying to calm her nerves with some favorite songs, and Zelda had to admit to herself that she missed having Ike's weird mix of modern and classic rock blasting out of her speakers. She pulled into a spot and hopped out, immediately regretting not grabbing a jacket. It felt ten degrees colder out, and by the time she made it to where Marth was standing in a huddled circle with Samus and a few others, she was shivering.

"Where's your jacket?" Marth asked from the warm embrace of a fuzzy looking sky blue hoodie.

"In my dorm," she said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I didn't realize it was this cold outside."

"Are you seriously not wearing a jacket?" Ike's voice made Zelda jump. She whirled to tell him to stop sneaking up on her, only to have the words turn into a whine. Ike was wearing a dark brown leather jacket, the collar popped against the biting wind, and as she ran her eyes down the scuffed and scratched material she had to wonder if she was dreaming. He looked beyond amazing, beyond sexy, and the way he raised an eyebrow made her let out another small whine.

"I didn't know it was this cold!" she finally managed to say and Ike huffed as he unzipped his jacket. He held it open and she dove into the offered warmth, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body and Zelda didn't miss Marth's gasp. In fact, the conversations all around them seemed to have died and Zelda blushed.

"Stop staring," Ike growled out and Zelda giggled from her hiding place. She looked up at him, noting his glare directed at a group openly gawking at them.

"Ike be nice," she chastised him and he huffed as he looked down at her.

"Do you not know me?" he asked dryly and she rolled her eyes.

"How's Mew?" she asked instead of answering him and he snorted.

"She's fine. Destroying my blankets but fine." Zelda laughed lightly and looked away from his clean shaven face, her eyes falling on the fake silver chain around his neck.

"Aw!" she exclaimed as she pulled the pendant from his shirt. "You kept it on!" He shrugged, but Zelda saw his slight blush and smiled to herself as she tucked her face back against his warm chest.

"You know this ruins my reputation around here," he grumbled as he ran a hand down her back, making her shudder and curl into him more.

"You know I don't care right?" she fired back and he huffed. The doors opened and Zelda reluctantly left her cozy place in Ike's arms, blushing at Snake's widened eyes.

XxX

"You know," Zelda said as she and Ike walked side by side to their section, "you look really good in that jacket." Ike huffed beside her, sliding the jacket from his body.

"Thanks... It was a friend of mine's. I won it in a bet."

"What was the bet?" she asked curiously and Ike shrugged his shoulders.

"It was a fucked up one to make but I bet him his girlfriend was cheating on him. If I was right I got the jacket, if I was wrong he got free meals for a month and me never doubting him or her again."

"That's awful Ike," she responded with a scowl and he shrugged again.

"I don't think he can complain too much, saved him some serious heartache later... Not that it ended up doing him much good."

"What do you mean?"

"He never came home," Ike said with a heavy tone.

"Ike I-"

"I'm not talking about it," he said firmly, his eyes cutting down to her. "It's too much." She nodded and took his hand.

"I understand," she whispered as she squeezed his fingers and he squeezed back before pulling free.

"Pallet coming," he sighed the words as he hung his jacket on the end of the bread aisle.

"Morning Zelda," Nick greeted her with a warm smile as the jack lowered the laden pallet to the tiled floor.

"Hi Nick," she greeted back.

"I'm surprised Ike here hasn't run you out of his section," Nick commented and Ike let out a sigh.

"Ike couldn't run me out if he tried," Zelda said with a beaming smile at Ike. "He loves me too much."

"Well, for being such a trooper about the worst assignment in the store... how about I buy you lunch?" Nick asked with a grin and Zelda heard Ike's snort. She glanced at Ike, his glare very apparent in his eyes and scowl, and she couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought that maybe he didn't like the possibility of her saying yes.

"Well, I actually don't feel like much of a trooper," she said with a shrug. "Ike's really not that bad, and I already have plans for lunch. Thanks though," she flashed him a smile before grabbing a box off the pallet and turned to catch Ike staring at her, an impressed look on his face. She moved past him, down the aisle where the box needed to go, and set to work.

"You know that was him asking you out right?" Ike asked as he came down the aisle with two boxes of his own.

"Yeah," she said as she shuffled a few things around, "I'm not interested."

"Zelda has a type then," Ike commented casually and she blushed, hiding it from him by intently focusing on the shelf she was stocking. "Nick's a cliché attractive guy," he continued as he moved to the spot next to her, opening the box with his box cutter.

"Well I've never been one for clichés," she shrugged and glanced his way, wondering what he was thinking.

"Uh huh," he nodded once, his eyes on the shelf as he moved a package back to the right place. She laughed lightly at him, shaking her head as she went back to the pallet.

XxX

"Break time stockers," Snake's voice made Zelda's heart speed up. Would they even let her out there with them? What was she going to do if they didn't?

"Hey," Ike's voice pulled her from her panicked thoughts, "you coming?"

"Yeah," she nodded and moved over to him, watching him grab his jacket as they walked past. "I need to call my friend, he's having trouble with a project... do you think I could step outside?" she asked and Ike shrugged.

"I don't see why not, as long as you don't run off," he added with a twist of his lips as he pulled his jacket on.

"Oh damn you've discovered my master plan," she said sarcastically and he huffed. "You know Ike," she said casually, "you can actually laugh, I won't judge you for it."

"You can actually be funny, I won't judge you for it," he fired back as they went up to the front doors. Zelda scoffed in mock annoyance and Ike looked down at her with a tiny grin barely curling up his lips. Snake's brows furrowed in confusion as the duo approached.

"What's this?" he asked as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"I need to make a call, I get better service outside," she said and Snake looked at Ike before shrugging.

"If you really wanna spend your break with our ex spec ops asses, fine by me," Snake said and Zelda looked up to see Ike shoot him a look. "What?"

"Just get your ass outside," Ike growled and Snake huffed, making Zelda giggle. They both looked at her and she shrugged, deciding not to comment on how similar their huffs were. Snake narrowed his eyes before turning to the door and opening it, a cigarette already moving to his lips.

"Okay," Zelda sighed as she pulled out her phone, shivering slightly in the chill. "Answer Link," she begged as she pulled up the video call.

"Hey Zelda," Link answered, hair askew.

"Hey Link!" she was maybe a bit too exuberant in her nervousness, so she decided to take a deep breath. "How's the project going?" He gave her a curious look before it dawned on him and he chuckled.

"It's going... Are you outside?"

"Yeah," she nodded, feeling the chill creeping into her exposed arms. "It's kinda cold out here but-"

"Here," Ike's voice over her shoulder made Zelda jump and she half turned, his jacket already moving to her shoulders. "It's cold out here and you don't need to get sick."

"Hi!" Link shouted and Ike peered at her phone, his brows furrowing.

"Hi," he responded carefully, as if trying to figure out who he was talking to.

"Link, this is Ike," Zelda introduced.

"I'm Zelda's unofficial brother," Link explained quickly. "We've been friends since when? Preschool?"

"Yeah," Zelda nodded as she looked back at her friend, "you were once too shy to even talk, and now you don't know how to shut up."

"Ha ha," Link rolled his eyes. "Get away from her while you can Ike, she constantly insults me."

"I've tried to get away, she won't let me," Ike fired back and Zelda scoffed.

"You two meeting is a bad idea," she complained and Ike huffed, Zelda's eyes on Link, who had a giant smile on his face.

"I'm gonna get back to Snake," Ike said before stepping back and Link rolled his eyes.

"Girl," he started and Zelda shushed him.

"Text me about it about later," she whispered. "So," she said in her regular voice, "how're the awful roomies?"

"I'm going to kill one of them," Link whined with a glance over his shoulder. "They're all half naked and asleep in the kitchen and..."

XxX

Zelda walked back inside with Ike, handing him his jacket with a self conscious smile at Marth's widened eyes. Ike took the jacket and she moved to follow him to the grocery section, only to have Marth grab her arm. "What the hell?" he asked softly. "Are you two screwing around or something?"

"What? No," Zelda shook her head and glanced at Ike's retreating back. "We're just... He's letting me in," she answered honestly.

"It's almost unbelievable," Marth said with a small smile. He gave her a wink as he let her arm go. "Give Ike my love."

"Oh I'll tell him," she said and moved back to her section. She gave Ike a shy smile as she walked up to their new pallet.

"Is everything okay?" he asked and she nodded.

"Did you know everyone thinks I'm weird?"

"For wanting to be over here with me?" he asked as he opened up a box.

"No," she shook her head, "for you being nice to me." He hesitated for a second and Zelda smiled as he shook his head.

"I told you you're ruining my reputation around here," he said as picked up the box he just opened and another.

"I know," she walked up to him and pressed a kiss to his covered bicep, "but you don't really mind." He looked at her for a moment and she smiled before grabbing one of the boxes from his hands.

XxX

Zelda felt her phone buzz as she finished putting the last box of macaroni and cheese on the shelf, her heart immediately speeding up. She pulled it out and checked the message, a hand coming to her lips at the screenshot Link had sent her. It was of her and Ike during the video call, and while it was blurry there was no denying what was there. She was talking into the screen, but Ike's eyes were on her. She stared at the way his lips curled up higher than she had ever seen before, how his eyes seemed to shine, and she smiled to herself before reading the attached message.

'I don't know Ike, but I know the look of a guy who's definitely interested. That? He looked at you that way every chance he got.' She blushed at that, how could she not?

"Zelda?" Ike's voice made her smile and she looked at him, suddenly feeling very shy.

"Yeah?" she asked as she slid her phone in her back pocket.

"We're done are you ready to go?" His limp was pronounced as he moved towards her and she met him halfway down the aisle, looping an arm through his. He shot her a look for doing it but she ignored him and together they moved to the front, Zelda dying to know what Ike was thinking.

"Do you have to go to the restaurant today?" she asked carefully.

"Not today," he said with a pained hiss.

"Is your leg hurting worse than normal?" she asked gently and he nodded.

"The cold really fucks with it," he told her tightly.

"Ike I know you had trouble getting in my car last time I gave you a ride home from work but-"

"I wouldn't mind today," he admitted and she squeezed his arm, knowing what him saying that meant.

"We could make a day of it again... if you want," she offered carefully as they reached the time clock.

"Are you going to fall asleep in my bed again?" he asked and she blushed, fumbling for a response.

"We-last-"

"Because if you are, maybe we should swing by your dorm first so you can grab a change of clothes," he added and she looked at him, trying to discern what he wanted. She gave up after a moment and sighed.

"Do you want me to spend the night again?" He didn't answer her as he clocked out and stepped to the side for her to do the same. They moved side by side through the doors and Ike slid his jacket over her shoulders again.

"I slept better holding you than I have in a long time by myself," he finally answered as they moved slowly to her car, "so if my nightmare didn't scare you then-"

"I slept better with you too," she admitted as they reached her car, "and your nightmare didn't bother me." He nodded and opened the door for her.

"Then yeah, I'd really appreciate it if you would." She smiled at him, noting the redness of his cheeks, and poked his left cheek with her finger.

"Blushing Ike?" she asked and he gripped her hand in his gently.

"It's kinda embarrassing to admit that I want to cuddle," he told her and she beamed at him.

"I think it's cute," she countered and he huffed. She watched his eyes flick over her face before he limped over to the passenger side.

"Let's go already." She sat down at his grumpy command and he eased himself down, wincing and cursing softly.

"We don't have to run to my dorm. I could get you home and then go," she offered and he grunted.

"Might not be a bad idea," he relented and she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Alright, let's go."

 **XXX**

 **I feel like this update took forever. I don't think it really did, but I was writing up my next story while working out this chapter which I think messed with my perception. Anyway, special thanks to the ever amazingly wonderful concisponci, the crazy fantastic Qoh22, and pichuplayer (who I believe is a first time reviewer!) the alerts make my day! Thank you for reading and, as always, let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	8. Chapter 8

"We need to get you a place on the first floor," Zelda commented as she watched Ike's knuckles turn white on the handrail.

"Nothing's free," he growled out as he climbed up another step, the trek taking excruciatingly longer than normal. "I check every couple months."

"I wonder if anything is free closer to me," she commented offhandedly and he snorted.

"You think I'm in this complex for the fabulous view?" he asked over his shoulder and she frowned up at him. "I can't afford to live anywhere else in this friggin city."

"What if you got a roommate?" she asked and he barked a noise that might've been a laugh from anyone else.

"Who the hell wants to live with me?" he asked incredulously as they made it to his floor. "If I'm not too much of an asshole to bear to be around I'm trying to strangle them in their sleep-"

"Ike," she stepped in his path, looking at him with serious eyes, "I slept in the same bed as you when you had a nightmare. The only thing that happened was you cuddled up with me and didn't let go until morning. Yes you're rude, but that's okay because you're so much more than that," she couldn't help but take his hand with that and he swallowed heavily, his eyes searching hers.

"Zelda I..." he trailed off with a slight wince and she pulled him to his door, hearing the faint sounds of Mew scratching on the other side. She unlocked the door and the white ball of fluff darted out with a meow, immediately rushing to the stairs.

"Let's get you inside," she commented as she helped him into the apartment and to his bed. He sat down heavily, a groan leaving his lips. "Pain pills?" she ventured and he shook his head.

"I get weird when I take them," he admitted as he eased himself down onto the bed.

"Weird how?" she asked worriedly and he snorted.

"No filter," he said with a wave of his hand and she giggled.

"You actually have one?" she asked with feigned shock and he raised a middle finger. "You're so sweet it amazes me," she continued and he huffed as he grabbed her hand and held it. "What are you doing?" she asked warily and he slapped the bed with his free hand.

"Don't go." His tone was almost begging, which caught Zelda completely off guard.

"I was going to get some clothes just in case I fall asleep again," she reminded him and he nodded, his eyes going to their entwined fingers.

"If you give me a little time I'll be fine to go with you," he told her in an almost whisper and Zelda felt her heart ache at that.

"You don't want to be alone, do you?" she asked and he shook his head. "Alright," she nodded and moved around him to sit on the bed, "you want to watch something?" He took her hand again and Zelda smiled at nothing, knowing this was a big step for him.

"We can pick up where we left off on that show," he offered as he turned on the tv, Zelda settling in beside him.

"Sounds good to me," she said as she curled up against him, her eyes on him as he scrolled through the menu. "We should get some takeout for lunch, I'm craving some lo mein."

"Sure," he said distractedly, shifting on his pillow.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he huffed as he sat up. Curious, Zelda watched him pull off his shirt and scratch at his back, an adorable scowl on his lips. She couldn't help but giggle, which earned her a glare. "What? You're cute get over it. Here," she sat up and moved behind him, suppressing the feeling of despair at the sight of the scar tissue and skin grafts. "Where does it itch?"

"Between my shoulders," he grumbled and she immediately scratched lightly at the raised scar there, him leaning into her nails slightly.

"See? I'm useful," she teased and he huffed as she continued.

"They don't freak you out?" he asked after a moment and she shook her head. Realizing he couldn't see her she blushed and lowered her lips to the scar.

"No," she responded before pressing a gentle kiss to the skin. He looked back at her, his face unreadable. "What?" she asked with a blush and he just shook his head.

"You're weird," he mumbled and she scoffed as she stopped scratching.

"How am I weird?" she asked as she moved to sit beside him.

"You're affectionate, I'm not really used to that anymore," he shrugged and she rolled her eyes as she pressed her luck and kissed his bare shoulder as she sat down beside him once more. "Don't do that," he told her and she scoffed.

"What?"

"The shoulder kiss thing? That's a guy thing to do, not a chick thing."

"It's gender specific?" she asked incredulously and he nodded. "Ike seriously?"

"Yeah," he turned to her and she froze as he pulled her shirt to the side, exposing her pale shoulder. He leaned forward and Zelda drew in a sharp breath as his lips touched her skin gently. He pulled away from her and released his grip on her shirt, Zelda staring at him in wide eyed shock. "See? Isn't that better?" he asked casually, like he hadn't just done something that felt incredibly intimate.

"Yeah," she nodded once, unable to look away from the amusement in his eyes.

"What?" he asked, the corners of his lips turning upwards.

"You just-you-"

"You've given me tons of quick pecks," he told her quickly, the amusement dropping off his face. "I didn't mean to overstep anything or make you uncomfortable." Zelda stared at him in confusion, not realizing why he was suddenly looking worried until it dawned on her; with her past he probably wasn't sure what would trigger some bad memories.

"No Ike," she shook her head, "I didn't mind. You just caught me off guard is all." He nodded once, looking slightly awkward and she leaned on him. "And I've never had anyone kiss my shoulder before," she admitted and he huffed slightly.

"Really? What kind of dumbasses have you been dating?"

"Well," she blushed lightly, her eyes going to the faded bedspread. How could she even begin to admit to him that she had only dated a few guys? That every time it ended before intimacy became a thing? "I just... I haven't really dated a lot and it never really gets to that sort of moment-"

"Wait wait wait," he pulled her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Are you saying that you've never had intimate moments in your past relationships?" She nodded at his question and he let out disbelieving huff. "Okay then please take this advice from someone who has dealt with psychologically scarring shit when I say that you need to get laid."

"What?" she blushed with her incredulous tone and he shrugged his shoulders.

"If you don't it might affect you later in life, make you not want to when you get to that point in a serious relationship... I'm not an expert on the psychology behind rape but that's what I was told the first time I got injured overseas and-"

"The first time?" she asked and he tensed.

"Yeah," he told her after a beat, "you think all of this is from one bad day? I got hurt and had to watch a good friend die, but I wasn't hurt beyond being able to serve so they..." he trailed off, his eyes going distant. "They desensitized me to violence, blood, and all that. My wounds healed and I was better than ever."

"Ike," she breathed his name and he shook his head.

"No, we're talking about you, not me. You need to find someone you trust, someone that'll stop if you say so, and let the intimacy happen."

"Well gee Ike," she started sarcastically and he glared at her, "let me just think for a second on who in my life I'd trust with that."

"What about Link?" he ventured and she laughed.

"Link? My self proclaimed brother I never had? No, besides the fact that he's gay, I wouldn't if he was straight."

"Well you better come up with someone because it'll help you later in life."

"Ike there's only one person who I can think of that I'd trust with that," she admitted with a violent blush that spread to the tips of her pointed ears.

"Who?" he asked and she shook her head, unable to tell him that she had immediately thought of him. "Okay well I probably don't know them because I don't know anyone you know but you should talk to them about this, see if they'd be okay with it."

"Would you be?" she asked softly, chancing a glance up at him. He looked confused, and then she saw it dawn on him that she meant would he be okay with helping her and his mouth opened, no sound escaping.

"I uh," he cleared his throat and looked away from her. "I'm not sure I'm the best choice."

"Why not?" she asked and he let out a small huff.

"It's been too long and I've never been good at not forming some sort of attachment to the other person. It's why I don't try to break my dry spell with some random chick, I can't do it." She stared at him, knowing what he was saying, understanding every word, but knowing that he was absolutely the only person she would trust with this.

"I understand," she nodded, looking down at the blanket beneath her. "It was your idea, I just thought you'd be willing to help me out-"

"Oh don't turn this on me," he said with amusement. "It would make everything weird with us." She nodded, eyes still on the blanket, knowing he had a point with that. "I mean," he added and she looked up at him curiously, "you're the first person I've actually wanted to be around in a long time, the first person who hasn't run for the hills at the sight of my scars... I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose anyone else," he finished, his voice shaky.

"Ike," she took his hand and laced their fingers, bringing his hand to her lips. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to lose me." He looked at her then, his expression openly scared and she gave him a smile. "I mean it. I like spending time with you, I like watching shows with you, I like watching you melt the second Mew comes into the room, I like..." she trailed off as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed each of her fingers, his eyes locked on hers. She blushed, unsure what to say about that.

"Come here," he said as he pulled her onto his lap. Zelda let out a nervous noise as he worked her legs around him, making her straddle him. "Step one is to get you comfortable with the small things again," he told her as he laid back on the bed.

"What are we doing?" she asked as he just looked up at her, his expression soft.

"You promise nothing will be weird?" he asked and she nodded, her heart speeding up as she did. "Alright," he sat up and she gave him a nervous attempt at a smile. He seemed just as nervous as she was as he placed his hands on her hips, his eyes darting all over her. He looked back into her eyes again and she leaned closer to him, nerves making her lips shake. He let out a soft noise that almost sounded like a whine and kissed her.

Fireworks exploding seemed so cliché to Zelda, but that's exactly what it felt like as he pressed his lips harder against hers. He pulled back slightly, his breath ragged as he opened his eyes. "Still okay?" he asked and she nodded, immediately moving her lips back to his. He huffed as she met his lips again and surprised her by his hands sliding from her hips to her hair. She felt his tongue brush against her lower lip and she nervously opened her mouth to him.

An insistent meow sounded at the door, followed by loud scratches and Zelda couldn't help but pull back with a giggle. "She's bossy," she commented and Ike shook his head.

"Did I really just get cockblocked by my kitten?" he asked and Zelda nodded with a blush. She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his reddened lips.

"I'll get her, you rest your leg," she commanded and he nodded.

"I don't think walking would be my strong suit right now," he admitted and she scowled.

"Is your leg hurting worse? I probably shouldn't have sat on you-"

"No," he shook his head as she got off his lap, "that's not the problem."

"Then what it is?" she asked and he just huffed.

"It's been awhile and something as simple as that kinda affected me more than I thought it would," he said vaguely and she gave him a confused look. "Jesus Zelda," he almost laughed, "making out with you got me going."

"Oh," she blushed and turned to let the still very insistent kitten in. "I uh, I'm sorry."

"No don't be," he told her as he shifted on the bed. "Shit like this hasn't happened to me since I was a teenager, made me feel half my age." She shook her head and opened the front door, smiling down at the little kitten that trotted in like she owned the place.

"Your daddy is a dirty old man," she told the kitten who mewed up at her.

"Ha, real funny," Ike growled as he got out of the bed.

"Where do you think you're going? You need to rest your leg," Zelda chastised and Ike gave her a look before going back to his bathroom. "Ike?" she called his name and he hesitated at the door.

"Unless you really wanted to take this all the way, I'm going to take care of what you did to me before I get some serious blue balls." She blushed violently at that, a hand flying to her mouth in shock. He grinned, a full on wolfish grin that made her heart thunder, and shot her a wink before turning back to the door to the bathroom.

"Are you really... I'm right here Ike!" she laughed and he turned back around.

"You wanna help?" he asked and she floundered. On one hand no she didn't, because she wasn't sure she could, but on the other...

"Yeah," she said, far more firmly and calmly than she felt. He stood there, eyes widened in shock and she drew herself up to her full height before walking over to him. "I do," she whispered as she stood toe to toe with him. Without warning she gripped his shirt and pulled his lips down to hers. Ike responded immediately, his hands gripping her hips, her hair, everywhere he could get ahold of her, and Zelda gave in. She moaned into the kiss, her hands scrambling for his belt, his shirt, anywhere she could grab.

She was fine with what was about to happen, up until he backed her up to the bed. He was gentle, easing her down like she was made of glass, but still she felt her panic building. "Ike?" his name left her lips a frantic whisper and he froze.

"I'll stop," he nodded and stood up, his hair wild from her raking hands. She stared up at him, loving the look of absolute want in his disheveled appearance. "You okay?" he asked warily and she nodded, her heart pounding painfully. "Hey," he spoke in a soft tone, crouching in front of her, "it's okay. You're okay, and I stopped."

"Ike I," she took a deep breath and leapt to her feet, "I need to go."

"What? Zelda we-"

"Bye Ike," she mumbled as she practically ran to the door and out. She ignored him shouting her name and didn't slow down until she was in her car. Inside the relative safety of her import, she threw it in gear and drove off, not understanding why she had just ruined everything with Ike. Tears poured down her cheeks as she drove, her phone's buzzing going ignored.

 **XXX**

 **Honestly? Not all of that happened in my rough draft. He just kissed her shoulder and kinda planted the idea. Ike made this happen, as did Zelda, don't blame me I'm just the messenger! Moving on! Special thanks to pichuplayer, concisponci, Sidhmeril, and Qoh22 for reviewing last chapter! Hope the New Year is finding all of you well and happy! Let me know what you think. Much love, Leigh**


	9. Chapter 9

Zelda drove back to her dorm and sat in her car, the sound of her phone buzzing pulling out a heavy breath from her chest. She glanced at it, saw Ike's name, and tensed. The desire to run, to keep away from him, filled her to her core, but she forced her hand to pick up the buzzing device.

"You can do this," she breathed the words as she hit the answer button. "Hey," her voice shook out the one syllable word and his sigh was heavy in her ear.

"Zelda? What happened? Why'd you run? I stopped," his voice was shaky and she shut her eyes tightly.

"I just... it was too much I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said quickly. "No more okay? I'm sorry I shouldn't have been so crude about everything. Look, if you want to come back here I'll just sit here, keep to myself, we can pretend none of that happened okay?" She tensed, wondering if she could do that. Could she go back over there? Hang out with him like they hadn't been so close? Act like she was still just his obnoxious coworker that bugged him?

"I don't know Ike," she breathed into the phone.

"Okay," his tone was detached, "just let me know yeah?"

"Yeah, I will," she nodded once and he sighed.

"I stopped, I don't understand," he told her and she screwed her eyes shut, wiping a stray tear away.

"Ike-"

"No it's... it's not fine but I'll say it is. I've gotta take my pills so just let me know if you want to come back over alright?"

"I will," she spoke softly and he hung up, leaving her to stare at the phone in her hand, fresh tears in her eyes.

XxX

She went upstairs and collapsed on her bed, ignoring the well meaning Peach and her questions. "Zelda?" Peach called her name from her doorway. "You okay?"

"No," she growled out from the safety of her pillow.

"You wanna talk about it?" Peach asked carefully and Zelda sighed.

"Not really," she admitted. "I don't know what there is to even talk about honestly."

"Well," Peach moved forward and sat on her bed, "start from the beginning."

"Okay," Zelda let out a heavy sigh, "you know that job I got?"

"Yeah," Peach nodded.

"I work with this guy and I... I really like him. And I know he likes me, I mean," she let out a soft laugh, "he's been through hell overseas and I'm the first person he's let into his life..."

"None of this sounds like a bad thing," Peach pointed out and Zelda nodded.

"I went to his place after work and," she tensed, worried to even bring it up. "Okay look, I had a bad ex in the past and he did some things-"

"I've been there," Peach whispered and Zelda whipped her head up to look at the blonde. "What? It doesn't define you, doesn't need to change you, but you gotta move past it."

"Yeah," Zelda let out a soft scoff, "that's what Ike said... We tried," she blushed as she admitted it.

"Did you panic?"

"I did, he stopped immediately-"

"That's a good guy," Peach nodded and Zelda did too.

"Yeah a good guy I freaked out on and then ran out on," she muttered and Peach made a disapproving noise.

"Girl, call him, tell him you're sorry, and tell him you wanna take it slow."

"Peach-"

"It is that simple," Peach cut her off with authority. "You know for a fact that this guy likes you and that he wants you, is willing to stop the second you're uncomfortable... Zelda you can't mess this up with him. I don't know him, at all, but he sounds like a great catch and one that you definitely don't need to throw away every chance with." Zelda stared at her, making Peach let out an amused laugh. "What?"

"I had no idea you weren't just a party girl," Zelda admitted and Peach laughed.

"Well I am," she shrugged. "So? What are you gonna do? Call him?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted and Peach sighed.

"Think about it, but do so quickly alright?" She stood up with that, a smile on her lips. "I've got some homework to finish up."

XxX

Zelda took a long shower, her mind replaying the events that had happened earlier with Ike. The second she got out of the steamed up bathroom she dialed him, her heart pounding. It rang once, twice, and just as she was about to assume he wasn't going to answer, it connected.

"'lo?" his voice was groggy and she smiled despite herself.

"Did I wake you?" she asked carefully and heard him grunt.

"Me? Nah, I don't sleep... I think I did though, I mean, it's now two and it was about one last time I looked," he sounded confused and she couldn't help but shake her head.

"Did you take your pain pills?"

"Yeah," he told her with a sigh. "About three of them, and man am I feeling it now."

"Ike! The bottle says to take two!" she whispered furiously into the phone.

"Nah it's fine, I'm fine. I've taken like five at a time before, hasn't killed me yet..." He trailed off and Zelda swallowed a lump forming in her throat.

"Do you need me to come over there Ike?"

"Don't wanna make you uncomfortable, never want that," he told her sluggishly.

"Ike did you only take three?"

"Mmm," he hummed into the phone. "I'm sorry Zelda I wasn't trying to do anything... wrong. Didn't mean to make you leave... I told you it would get weird between us, now look. You left. Everyone leaves."

"Ike I didn't leave because of you," she sighed and sat on her bed, running her free hand through her hair. "I left because I panicked and-"

"Panic I caused," he spoke over her and Zelda groaned.

"I'm the one that said I wanted to help Ike, and when we got to the bed I just, I freaked."

"I know... I stopped though. You said my name and I stopped. Don't understand why you left... It's me I guess? Make people I care about leave..." Her heart broke at that and she shook her head.

"Ike, no. I mean it. Now stop being like this and I'll come over-"

"Nah, go find an unbroken guy, you deserve that much. Me? I'm so fucked up I can't even..." he trailed off and Zelda felt her heart skip a beat in worry.

"Ike?" she called his name, panic in her tone. "Ike?!" She listened intently, a sigh leaving her lips as she heard heavy breathing. "Did you really fall asleep?" She shook her head and put him on speaker as she got dressed, his heavy breathing making her smile. Once dressed she packed a bag of clothes for the next day and picked up her keys.

XxX

The entire drive back to Ike's apartment, Zelda listened to his heavy breathing. Not only was it cute to hear, but she knew that if he woke up to her having hung up that he might assume the worst. As she parked in an empty spot she took a deep breath, steadying herself for going back up there.

"You can do this Zelda," she encouraged herself and, with one more deep breath, climbed out of the car. Up the now familiar stairs she went, her phone to her ear. A meow caught her attention and she smiled as the white fur of Mew bounded up to her. "Hey cutie," she cooed as she scooped up the kitten. She pressed a kiss to her little head and finished the trek to the third floor. "Let's check on your daddy huh?" she asked the purring ball of fluff in her arms as she unlocked the door.

Zelda opened the door, a smile on her lips at the sight of Ike passed out on the bed. He was in his boxers, half under the covers, the phone half falling from his hand. Zelda set Mew down and shut the door, wondering what was the best way to approach this situation. She set her bag on the counter and kicked off her shoes, ending the call with Ike. His cane was leaning against the side of the bed and Zelda moved it to the bedside table before carefully taking the phone from his limp fingers.

"Ike?" she whispered his name carefully and he didn't even stir. She couldn't help but laugh lightly at that and moved to the other side of the bed, taking a seat beside him. He rolled slightly, his eyes still shut tight, and she ran a hand through his soft hair. "I'm here Ike," she whispered as she settled down next to him, "and I'm not going to leave like that again."

XxX

After having a long text conversation with Link and scrolling through the recent news, Ike beside her began to stir. She slid her phone into her back pocket and gave his sleepy confused face a warm smile. "Hey sleeping cutie," she teased and he huffed as he sat up.

"You came over?" he asked as he ran a hand down his face.

"Yeah," she nodded and he looked at her, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Did you not want me to?" she asked warily and he huffed as he shook his head.

"No I'm uh," he cleared his throat and took her hand gently, "I'm glad you're here. I didn't think you'd wanna come."

"Ike I'm sorry about this morning," she started in quickly and he waved off her words.

"Don't alright? You didn't do anything wrong-"

"Neither did you," she interjected firmly and he stared at her for a minute, his eyes searching her face. "And I don't want to pretend that nothing happened because that's not good to do, and also because I liked what happened up until I panicked." His lips twitched at that and she blushed.

"We're a fucked up pair, you know that?" he asked softly and she squeezed his fingers.

"Well I'd rather be fucked up with you than anyone else," she fired back and he just stared at her.

"Why the hell do you feel that way about me of all people?" he asked softly and she shrugged.

"Because I do. I don't know why, but I like you," she answered honestly and he huffed, his lips quirking upwards slightly.

"And they say I'm the mental case," he responded and she scoffed. His eyes moved over to the kitchen and his brow twitched. "What's in the bag?"

"Clothes... if you still wanted me to stay over," she said in a slightly sheepish tone.

"Of course I do," he told her firmly as Mew hopped up on the bed. "Hey there's the little shit," he almost cooed as the kitten rubbed against his arm.

"I brought her up with me," Zelda explained and he nodded.

"Did I say anything weird on the phone? I remember vaguely that you called but the conversation is a blur."

"Well," Zelda smirked as she ran her free hand down Mew's back, "you seemed really confused and high but nothing too weird."

"Huh," he huffed the word and nodded once. "I'm starving, you wanna eat?"

"Like... go somewhere or order here?"

"We can go somewhere," he shrugged as he stood up, Zelda watching his scars as he stretched. "You said something about lo mein earlier... I know the best place in town and I'll bet you've never been there."

"Where?"

XxX

Twenty minutes later and they were in a place not far from Ike's apartment, in a run down shopping center Zelda never would've thought would hold a decent place to eat. Ike was greeted like an old friend from the small man by the door, the big blue jacket indoors seeming odd to Zelda. Ike introduced the old man by the nickname of Popo, and the short lady peeking out of the kitchen was Nana, but she didn't come out when Ike waved.

"The place doesn't look it," Ike whispered as they helped themselves to one of the few free tables, "but they make amazing food."

"Judging by the crowd I'd say you're probably right," she said as she moved her chair closer to the table and sat.

"Everything is good here, but especially their spicy steak and vegetables," he whispered to her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not really into the whole spicy thing so I'll take your word for it." She glanced down at the menu, noting Ike hadn't even moved his laminated one, and smirked at the tabletop.

XxX

Their dinner progressed with small talk and friendly jabs, Zelda unsure when it went from just grabbing dinner together to feeling like a date. By the end of the meal, that Ike insisted he pay for completely, they were walking out of the eatery holding hands, a smile on her lips mirrored by his grin.

"That was amazing," she admitted as they neared her car and he huffed.

"Don't ever doubt me," he hummed the words down at her and she blushed as she looked up at him, wondering if she could push her luck with another date-like activity.

"So, since you were right about that place being fantastic and you paid for it... How about I treat you to a movie?" She posed the question casually as they reached her car and he sighed as he leaned against the driver side door.

"Not tonight," he said after a minute. "My leg is starting to hurt again and I selfishly want to get back to my place and be comfortable."

"Of course," she nodded, flashing him a quick smile and he pulled her to him with their still clasped together hands.

"Come here," he whispered the words and she eagerly let herself get wrapped up in his warm arms. "I think you're ruining me Zelda," he whispered in her ear and she scoffed against his chest.

"How?" she asked as she looked up at him. He stole a quick, chaste kiss and looked down at her, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Because you make me want this," he admitted and she smiled.

"That's not bad for you Ike," she commented and he shrugged.

"It's been forever since I've been in a place like this."

"Place like what?" she encouraged softly.

"Holding someone I care about, trying to force down years of built up self hate to ask a childish question."

"What question?" she asked, her heart speeding up in her chest.

"Will you be my girlfriend? Not just my coworker I have weird hangouts with, but actually go out with me, date me, and be mine?" he asked and she couldn't help the face splitting smile as she stood on her toes and crashed their lips together. They kissed for a long minute, their tongues dancing as his arms tightened around her. She pulled back and he raised his eyebrows. "That was either a yes or the best damn no I've ever gotten."

"That was a yes!" she laughed and leaned her forehead against his chest once more. "Let's get back to your place, I bet Mew is missing you by now." He huffed, stole another kiss, and moved to the passenger side, a small grin on his lips.

XxX

They made it back to his apartment, Zelda behind Ike on the stairs, eyes locked on his worsening gait. After a slow trek up they made it to the third floor and she unlocked the door for him, making him shake his head. "What?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Just realized that we really did this out of order. I mean, I've never given anyone a key to my place and you had one after helping me home."

"Oh you know you don't mind," she teased with a smile over her shoulder as she pushed open the door. Mew met them there, meowing as she wrapped herself around Ike's legs.

"Hey there, come on," Ike slapped his right leg and the kitten immediately responded, climbing up to his shoulder.

"You two are too cute," Zelda said as she moved to his bed and sat, watching Ike whisper to the white furry little creature rubbing her face against his cheek.

"We're something," he said as he moved to sit beside her, Mew hopping down to get a few pets from Zelda as he got settled. "You wanna pick up where we left off on that show?" he asked carefully and she nodded.

"I'd love to," she responded as she took her place beside him. A content sigh left her lips as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, Mew settling on his chest.

"Hey," he spoke softly as the episode loaded, "we can go as slow as we need to alright? I'm in no hurry to rush into anything." She nodded against his chest, her eyes locked on the screen.

"I don't think I'll make you wait too long for anything," she responded just as the episode finished loading and he let out a little snort before pressing a kiss to her hair.

 **XXX**

 **I am so sorry this update took so long! I had to sell my phone for an emergency and I saved the chapter to my flash drive for work and the friggin file got corrupted! Ugh, I'm so sorry! Thanks to everyone for reviewing last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one. Much love, Leigh**


	10. Chapter 10

There was no denying that Zelda was incredibly happy. Even as Ike's alarm went off at the ridiculous time of three thirty in the morning, she couldn't help but smile at his grumpy face as he climbed out of the blissful hole of sleep. "I wish you didn't have to go in," she lamented and he huffed as he sat up.

"I'd much rather lay there with you," he admitted as he swung his legs over the side, Zelda almost mesmerized by the scars on his back as he stretched. She wanted to ask, felt it a need to know, but knew he wouldn't answer, so she just sat up and leaned on his bare back. "Are you staying until I get back?" he asked as he turned and wrapped an arm around her.

"Mhmm," she nodded as she soaked up the warmth of his chest. He pressed a kiss to her hair and stood up, a sigh leaving her lips as she immediately missed the contact. "I've got my classes today, but do you want to do something later?"

"Can we see how I feel after I get off work at the restaurant?" he asked as he moved to the bathroom.

"Yeah," she nodded as she laid back down. "I was just thinking."

"Hey," he came out of the bathroom, shirtless and pants undone, "I'm not saying no. I'm saying I don't know how capable of doing anything I'm going to be."

"Yeah, I understand," she nodded vaguely, eyes locked on his exposed skin. He finished getting dressed and she pouted at him, drawing a smirk to his lips.

"I know," he said sarcastically, "it's such a shame to cover up such a flawless body."

"Ike-"

"I've gotta go," he moved back to the bed and pressed a swift kiss to her lips. "Sleep well, feed Mew."

"Where is she?" Zelda suddenly looked around her, the white ball of fluff's absence making her frown.

"In the bathtub attacking her toy she dragged in there," he said with an eye roll before turning to go to the door. "See you later beautiful lady." She blushed as he shut the front door behind him, a happy smile on her lips at the compliment.

XxX

The time Ike was at work Zelda spent napping, Mew hopping into the bed with her and purring happily. "Hey cutie," she cooed as the kitten pawed at her hand. "Are you hungry?" She stood up from the bed and lazed her way into the kitchen, the sound of meowing trailing her. The cat food bag was sitting on the counter and Zelda scooped it up to pour some in the empty bowl. As she straightened up the front door opened and she turned a smile Ike's way.

"Hey," he greeted with a small grin and Zelda moved to him, standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

"How was work?" she asked and he snorted.

"Boring without this obnoxious buzzing in my ears half the time," he fired and she scoffed.

"Well if that's how you feel about it maybe I'll just buzz on out of here," she taunted and turned away from him. An arm wrapped around her middle and pulled her back, her letting out a squeal of shock.

"You're not leaving yet," he purred in her ear, his tone making her blush. He kissed her neck and she let out a soft whine, loving the affection. Her back pressed against his torso as he continued with the not so soft kisses, her heart speeding up as she turned her head to capture his lips. They kissed for a long moment, until Mew wrapped herself around their legs. "And there's my favorite little princess," Ike said as he looked down at the crouching kitten, her tail flicking lightly.

"Can I shower?" Zelda asked and Ike turned his eyes to her, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Yeah... can I join you?" he asked and she blushed a violent shade of red, unsure if he was being serious or not.

"Uh," she cleared her throat and he squeezed her gently.

"I'm teasing," he kissed her cheek and released her. "Remember, no rush." She nodded and grabbed her bag from the counter, still slightly blushing. She looked over at him, watched him limp towards the bathroom, and bit her lower lip. "If you just let me change right quick it's all yours-"

"If it bothers me will you get out?" she asked before she lost her nerve and he froze in his tracks.

"You know I will," he called over his shoulder and Zelda took a deep breath. She walked over to and then past him, shooting him a soft smile.

"Then come on."

XxX

The water pressure in Ike's shower was better than her dorm's, that was Zelda's first impression as she stood under the blasting water. Ike could be heard on the other side of the curtain, undressing to join her. "You sure?" he asked after a moment and Zelda nodded, reassuring herself first that yes she was.

"Get in here already," she called and heard his huff before the curtain drew back slightly. She tensed, her heart beating faster in her chest, and the curtain fell back into place. "What's wrong?" she called out, hating the slight quake to her voice.

"I'm not sure you really want me to, so I'm making the decision for both of us to not," he explained. "I want to, a lot believe me, but I don't want to make anything weird." She smiled at the curtain, wanting to kiss him for being so perfect. "I'm going to grab my clothes so don't take too long if you want to say bye before I leave."

"I won't," she called and heard him walk off. Her eyes flicked to the two bottles of soap on the side of the shower, one shampoo and the other a body wash. Both were obvious guy brands and she smirked at the thought of smelling like Ike as she grabbed the shampoo.

XxX

Zelda stepped from the bathroom into the living room, smiling at Ike on his bed with his hand under the blanket, Mew attacking the moving bump with adorable ferocity. "I'll say it a million times," she called out and he looked over at her, "you two are beyond adorable."

"And I'll always respond with a fond shut up," he fired back as Mew crouched on the bed, her little eyes focused intently on the way he moved his hand. "You took a fast shower," he commented as he carefully raised his other hand and poked the intent kitten, making her jump and hiss. Zelda couldn't help but giggle as Mew pounced on Ike's offending hand, her long tail adorably puffed up.

After it became apparent that Ike was obviously going to win, Mew took off, deciding to attack a stuffed mouse instead. "I think you hurt her feelings," Zelda teased and Ike stood up with a wince.

"Oh she'll live," he said as he walked over to Zelda and she met his lips gently. "I like that you smell like me, but I do miss the way you always smell," he whispered as he snaked his arms around her waist.

"You're absolutely the cutest-"

"Don't even," he growled as he kissed her again, her smiling against his lips. He pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. "You're the best kind of torture," he almost whined as he pulled away. "I've gotta get going-"

"I'll drive you," she said and he hesitated, his eyes going to her curiously. "What? I can't give you a ride?"

"Just not used to any of this still," he admitted and looked around at the ground. "Mew! Outside let's go!" Zelda moved next to him and took his hand, a smile on her lips.

"Well mister you better get used it," she teased as she squeezed his fingers. He pressed a kiss to her hair and together they moved to the door and out, Mew shooting down the stairs. They followed at a slower pace, Zelda happy when Ike kept his hand in hers as they went down.

They hopped in her car and drove to his work, her eyeing the building suspiciously. "I'll text you when I can," he said as he turned to her and Zelda nodded. "And no, we're not ever eating here."

"Don't want your chef girlfriend to know about me?" she teased and he huffed as he shook his head.

"No, if she found out I had a girlfriend the free food would stop," he sent a wink her way and she couldn't help but laugh. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips, Zelda wondering when the butterflies at the slightest touch from him would stop. He got out of her car with a hiss and she watched him walk into the building, using a side door she assumed went into the kitchen. After the door shut behind him she backed out of the parking space, already dialing Link.

XxX

Her classes were the typical boring but informative, and as Zelda dropped her bag onto her bed after her last class her brain felt fried. She had a couple papers to work on, but she checked her phone first. A few texts from Link demanding more details about her coworker turned boyfriend, and one picture from Ike made her smile. She tapped on the picture, shaking her head at Ike balanced on a stool with a plate on his lap covered in what looked like chili cheese fries. The attached message made her snort.

'Do you really want this to stop? Look at this platter!'

'Do you flirt with her?' she teased him in her response as she sat cross legged on her bed and unzipped her backpack.

'Oh yes Zelda, all day long... insert eye roll there since I'm sure my dry sarcasm doesn't translate well. I told you I can't flirt with someone I'm not interested in.'

'So why are we really not ever eating there?' she sent after a moment of smiling at his message.

'Because I don't really want to, the food is not that good. I only do this because it saves me money. Money I now have better things to spend on than food.'

'What's better than food?' she asked curiously as she pulled out her notes from the day.

'Mew and you. Not necessarily in that order, but I don't want you getting a big head about it.' A laugh flew past her lips at that and she shook her head.

'Aw!'

'Shut up. Break's over. Later.'

XxX

The cell phone's buzz pulled Zelda from four pages of political science hell, and she grabbed the phone happily, more than ready for a break from the dull research paper. "Hey you," she answered upon seeing Ike's name.

"Can you distract me until I get home?" Ike hissed into the phone and she bolted to her feet.

"Ike, let me pick you up."

"No," he growled, "I'm fine. I just need you to talk to me about something while I walk home."

"Ike-"

"Zelda please," his tone held more pain than anything and she gulped down a breath.

"Okay," she nodded a few times, "I uh, told Link about us."

"Yeah? How'd that go?"

"Great actually. He wants to meet you in person but he approves..." She trailed off as her mind flicked to his family and hers. Her dad had expressly forbidden what had happened. "I haven't really told anyone else but Link knows almost everything about me so I had to tell him."

"I don't care who you tell," he said with a heavy breath. She bit her lips together as a thought popped into her head.

"What about work?"

"What about it?"

"Are we going to tell work? Snake? Marth?"

"I actually already told Snake," Ike admitted with a slight shake in his usually steady tone. "He's kinda my only-"

"He's your friend?" Zelda posed and Ike huffed.

"Yeah, I guess so... never thought about it before." She couldn't help but laugh at that and he let out a grunt.

"So is he your Link?"

"Well I've only known him since I got out of the service. He got me the job at the store and we grab a beer or two sometimes but I can't really drink much."

"Not that that's a bad thing but why not?" she asked curiously.

"Alcohol and painkillers don't mix well," he said and she scowled.

"Good point... Do you want me to come over tonight?"

"Uh," he hesitated and she nodded, already knowing what he was about to say.

"You sound like you need to lay down and let the pain pills work, but if you want me there I will be."

"No," he hissed out, Zelda trying not to cringe at the obvious pain in his tone. "There's no telling what dumb shit I'll say."

"It'll take more than high Ike to scare me off," she teased and he snorted.

"I don't want to risk it. Besides, I'll be seeing you first thing in the morning at work."

"That's true," she smiled at the thought, wondering if anything would be different.

"I'm at the stairs to my place," he spoke tightly. "Ah, there's Mew to greet me." Sure enough, Zelda heard the soft meow and she smiled. "I'm gonna get off the phone and get my ass upstairs. I'd say I'd call later but I'll probably pass out pretty quick."

"That's fine I understand, I've got a paper to work on anyway... I'll see you in the morning."

"Bye Zelda."

"Bye Ike." With that the call disconnected and she smiled as she set her phone down. Renewed by the quick interaction with her boyfriend, an idea that still seemed crazy to her, Zelda got back to work on her research paper.

XxX

The alarm pulled Zelda from her sleep roughly, and she had a very distinct moment of wanting to just roll over and go back to sleep. Then she remembered that getting up and going to work meant seeing Ike, so she crawled out from under her covers and got dressed. As she left her room she saw Peach sitting cross legged on the couch, the laptop glowing brightly on her lap. "Homework?" Zelda asked and Peach nodded.

"Research papers and I do not get along," she said as she glanced from the screen. "How'd it go with that Ike guy?"

"Well considering that Ike guy is now my boyfriend," Zelda said and Peach clapped her hands excitedly, "I'd say it went pretty well."

"I want all the details later okay?"

"Sure, bye Peach," she called as she moved to the front door.

XxX

The parking lot was darker than normal, and Zelda cast an annoyed look at the burned out lights that dotted the mostly empty space before hopping out of her car and walking to the front door. "Zelda!" Marth greeted her with a smile and a wave, one she returned with a little less enthusiasm. "How's life?"

"Pretty good," she responded, her eyes hunting for Ike in the gathering crowd. "How about you?"

"Oh I'm great! Met a cutie pie last night, hoping he'll text me today... are you looking for Ike?" Marth's tone sounded knowing and Zelda blushed as she nodded. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she pulled it out, smiling at the simple message from Ike.

'You really want people to know?'

'Yes!' she sent back and slid her phone back into her pocket. She shuddered slightly as a cold wind blew through the parking lot, and jumped when arms wrapped around her middle.

"Why are you not wearing a jacket again?" Ike's voice made her blush and she turned to him, once more loving the sight of that glorious leather jacket that looked made for him.

"Because I preferred being cuddled by you until we went inside," she said and he huffed as he held open his jacket. The warmth encircled her and she looked up at his tired eyes, worry making her frown. "You didn't sleep good?" she asked softly and he shook his head.

"Turns out I sleep a hell of a lot better when you're there," he answered just as softly and she shook her head. "Were you serious about wanting people here to know?" he asked and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Yeah," she nodded and he gave her a small grin before leaning his lips down to hers. There was a collective gasp around them, something that made Zelda pull back with an amused smile up at Ike.

"What?" Ike growled at someone to Zelda's left and she slapped his chest gently.

"Ohmygod!" Marth sounded excited and Zelda looked over her shoulder to see him staring at them with a big smile. "When did this happen? What's going on? I need details!" She laughed at his exuberance while Ike just looked aggravated.

"Be nice," she reminded him with a smile and he rolled his eyes.

"Why?"

"Ike," she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek that made Marth let out a squeal, "please."

"Don't ask me to do the impossible," he huffed and Zelda couldn't help but laugh. The doors opened and they separated, Snake glaring at everyone over his travel mug.

"Big truck today people," he barked as they filed inside, a few people letting out loud groans. "Yeah yeah, stop your bitching."

"Who pissed in your coffee?" Ike fired at Snake and Zelda almost froze.

"Fuck off Greil," Snake shoved him with a slight smirk and Ike tilted his head.

"Wife making you quit smoking again?" Ike asked and Snake huffed.

"Nicotine patches suck," he groused and Ike clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"You better quit, I'd hate to be on Meryl's bad side."

"Yeah she'd shoot me," Snake chuckled and Ike snorted as they made the trek to the time clock. Zelda idly listened to their banter back and forth as Marth stepped up beside her.

"When did this happen?" he whispered.

"Yesterday," she whispered back with a glance at Ike.

"I want details on break," Marth all but demanded as he walked off to his section. Zelda smiled up at Ike as he stepped over to her, the couple moving to their section with his hand on her lower back.

XxX

Pallet after pallet came out of the back room, Zelda beginning to feel the burn in her muscles as she worked. She had honestly not seen much of Ike since the first pallet dropped, and the worry over his limping was starting to gnaw at her. As she neared their almost empty pallet, she saw Nick coming their way with another one and suppressed the urge to groan at the sight of both.

"Here's another present for you!" he called cheerfully as he neared.

"Gee thanks," she responded sarcastically and he beamed.

"So hey, yesterday maybe I was being a bit too subtle so-"

"She has a boyfriend," Ike's voice behind her made her jump and she turned to see him definitely limping as he scooped up a few boxes.

"This really doesn't concern you Ike," Nick said with a sneer and Zelda watched Ike's eyes lock onto him, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"Well," Zelda stepped in before Ike could say anything, "considering he's my boyfriend, it kinda does."

"Since when?!" Nick asked in shock and Ike snorted.

"Yesterday dumbass."

"Wow Ike," Nick's tone held a ready for a fight edge to it, "I didn't know you had it in you... caring for another person I mean."

"Nick," Zelda tried to warn him but now he had Ike's undivided attention.

"You don't know shit kid, fuck off."

"I don't know shit? My brother was in the army, he came back just fine."

"I wasn't in the army," Ike said in a dangerous low tone. "I was in a marine spec ops unit that legally didn't exist."

"Easy to say shit you can't prove," Nick fired and Zelda had to grab Ike's arm as he tried to move past her. Ike glared down at her, his chest rising and falling with jagged breaths.

"Ike, it's okay, ignore him," she said gently.

"Wow, already pussy whipped Ike?" Nick sneered and Zelda tried to grab Ike's arm tighter as he lunged. One swift punch she could barely register and Nick was on the ground, blood seeping from his split lip.

"Ask your fucking brother if he ever got shot," Ike growled as he crouched before the now cowering Nick. "Ask him if he had to watch seven of his best friends die. Ask him if he knows what happens when the enemy catches you... Your brother came back fine because he didn't live through what I did you self righteous prick. Say all the fucking shit you want to me, but you leave Zelda out of it. Got it?"

"Ike!" Snake's voice made Ike tense before he slowly stood up. Zelda's brain struggled to process the new information on Ike, her heart breaking for her boyfriend as Snake stalked over to them. "What the hell happened here?"

"Your psycho attacked me!" Nick shouted and Ike let out a bark of a laugh.

"This little bitch tried to insult me and-"

"Ike, do your job. Nick, do yours. No!" he snapped at both of them. "No arguments! Go! Zelda, walk with me."

"Oh, okay," she glanced at Ike but he was already picking up his dropped boxes, a deep scowl set to his features. She followed Snake away from the grocery section and awkwardly cleared her throat. "Look, Nick-"

"I don't give a damn about Ike punching Nick," Snake sighed as they moved. "I know the prick can get mouthy and Ike's the worst person to do that too. I'm not even going to make a note about it because hopefully it teaches the idiot a lesson."

"Oh," Zelda felt confusion swirl in her brain. "Then why-"

"I'm happy for Ike, I really am," Snake said as he turned to face her, his expression serious, "but he's literally been through hell and I just want to make sure you understand exactly what you're agreeing to be with." She pulled herself up to her full height at that, ready to defend Ike. "Zelda I've read his file," Snake said in a softer tone, his eyes flicking around them. "My father in law is a general and he slipped me the file... I almost wish I hadn't read it. Has he told you anything about what he's been through overseas?"

"Just bits and pieces," she admitted and Snake huffed.

"Well there's a damn good reason he doesn't want to just sit down and talk about it. He's been shot, that was his first injury, and he's been tortured." Zelda paled at that, and the ground beneath her feet felt like it shifted as she lost her balance. Snake caught her, a grim expression on his lips. "I know. That's what the scars are from, and why he limps. The mere fact that he's not locked up in the looney bin drooling and broken is a miracle in itself. So just... if he's harsh or rude, don't take it the wrong way. He was the best damn soldier the country never knew existed and he's a damn good man." Zelda nodded numbly at him, trying to process how to handle the new information about her boyfriend. "Now get back to your section and don't tell Ike about this conversation. I just asked what happened to put Nick on his ass okay?"

XxX

They made it to break, Zelda feeling exhausted already. Ike was limping badly at that point, every step making him wince. "Hey," she called out softly as she stepped up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Hi," he responded tightly as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Do you have to go to the restaurant today?" she asked and he nodded. "Ike I really think you should call out today."

"I'll be fine," he replied curtly and she rolled her eyes.

"Ike please, I'm feeling sore from all this and I plan on doing nothing when I get out of here so-"

"I have to work," he told her firmly as they came to the front doors. "If I don't I don't have a place to live and I'll be damned if I'm going to turn into one of those creepy homeless vets. See you after the break." He pressed a rough kiss into her hair and moved to Snake by the front doors, Marth immediately stepping beside her.

"Details. Now. All of them." She smiled at Marth distractedly, her eyes on Ike as he limped out behind Snake.

 **XXX**

 **This chapter felt longer, I hope it was. I wanted to cover some more time than normal. Special thanks to Qoh22, Sidhmeril, and concisponci for reviewing last chapter! I love you guys. Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	11. Chapter 11

The break was over before Zelda realized it, and as she rejoined Ike in groceries she gave him a smile. "Hey," he greeted, his eyes on the new pallets that had been left for them. "Damn it really is a big truck today. I don't think we'll be done before the store opens." She scowled at the notion and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to him for a quick kiss.

"Let's get this done," she said and he nodded, stepping back from her with a wince. "Ike-"

"I'm alright," he insisted firmly as he bent to grab a box from the pallet. "Did Marth get all his precious details from you?"

"Yeah, though I left out the really juicy bits," she admitted and he huffed with a nod.

"Makes sense," he called over his shoulder as he limped away. Zelda picked up her own box and moved down a different aisle, trying to think of a way to make him stay home from his second job.

XxX

Zelda realized how late they were there as the back room people came out in droves to bring them the stocking bins and remove the pallets from the floor. A man she'd never seen before picked up their pallets, the earbuds in his ears screaming out what Zelda was pretty sure was death metal. He left as quietly as he came, Ike giving him a subtle nod of thanks. They continued working, and not long after that customers began to roam the aisles. Zelda offered them polite smiles as she moved, trying to finish up quickly.

She ended up in the aisle with Ike, watching him stock a high shelf. She wasn't the only one, she noted with a slight scowl. A customer, a woman closer to Ike's age than she was, was openly staring right at him. The woman's eyes scaled down Ike's body, a small smile on her lips. Slowly, the woman pushed her cart closer to Ike, Zelda feeling a jab of jealousy as Ike noted her coming closer. He went immediately back to stocking, not even acknowledging the woman as she stepped almost awkwardly close to him.

"Excuse me," the woman spoke up as she reached across Ike, her arm brushing against his torso unnecessarily. Ike practically leapt back with a glare at her, which she didn't notice as she grabbed her box of candies. "Are these good?"

"I wouldn't know," he responded tightly, taking a few steps back with a pained grunt. "You might do better to ask my girlfriend, she might." He offered the most fake flash of teeth as he turned to leave the aisle, eyes widening slightly as they fell on Zelda who stood there with a little smirk. "And there she is," he gave her a genuine grin through the pain so obviously written across his features. She moved to him and pressed a swift kiss to his lips, hearing the customer scoff slightly.

Zelda watched in amusement as the customer walked out of the aisle, turning her eyes up to Ike when they were alone once more. "Did I just witness you getting flirted with?"

"Badly but I think so," he admitted as he limped back to the cart still containing a few boxes of merchandise needing to be put out. "I'd say it's good payback though."

"How?" Zelda asked with a scoff.

"I did have to watch Nick try to ask you out yesterday," he reminded and she sniffed a laugh.

"Did that bother you?"

"Only because I didn't know if you'd say yes," he spoke in a soft tone and Zelda pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Don't worry Ike, it's safe to say I've had a crush on your rude self since we met." He huffed at that, a small grin on his lips as he picked up a box and read the label.

"I knew you were going to be trouble when you kept smiling at me," he commented as he cut open the box. A sigh left his lips and Zelda quirked up an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"She clicked away in her heels down this aisle," he said with an eye roll and Zelda grabbed the box from his hands.

"I'll handle it... Why don't you rest a minute?"

"Zelda-"

"Just stand there," she commanded and he huffed with a shake of his head. She went down the aisle, a smirk on her lips at the customer standing there on her phone. Zelda sauntered past her to the spot she needed to set out the items, hoping for no interaction whatsoever.

"Excuse me," the lady called out and Zelda tensed, "but could you please tell me where I can find the wine?"

"Of course," Zelda turned to her with a fake smile. "Last aisle before you hit the seasonal section." She turned to get back to work, feeling the woman's eyes still on her. "Did you need anything else?" she asked casually as she started stocking the shelf.

"You just seem young to be in a relationship with him, I hope you know what you're getting into," with that the woman walked off, leaving a pissed off Zelda glaring at her back.

"Hey," Ike's voice pulled her from imagining what she could've said to that and she turned to him with a smile that she hoped didn't look as fake as it felt. "Uh oh," he gave her a small grin and took her hand, "a fake smile from you is always bad news. Whatever she said, she doesn't know shit... now c'mon, I finished up the other boxes so we're free to go."

"Ike! I said to rest your leg!"

"Yeah and I wanted a minute with you before I have to go to my next job," he admitted and she felt her annoyance at the random woman slide.

"I wish you'd call out," she sighed as they dropped her empty cardboard box in the bin, a back room guy already coming around to collect it.

"Can't," he hissed as they moved out of their section hand in hand, his limp worrying Zelda. She could only imagine the pain he was in, and knowing what she did thanks to Snake, she couldn't help but wonder what he went through to get such a bad limp. "Could you drive me to the restaurant?" he asked as they reached the time clock.

"I can but-"

"I can't call out," he said firmly as he punched out. "And thanks to the big truck I'm running late... oh shit do you think you could let Mew out of my apartment?"

"Yeah I can do that," she conceded as he stepped aside for her to clock out. Once she did they left the store hand in hand, Zelda feeing her worry over him twist her gut into knots. His limp was the worst she'd ever seen it, him gritting his teeth tightly with each step. When they reached her car he leaned heavily against the passenger door, his deep breaths shaky as they passed his lips. "Is there anything that doctors can do to make your leg better?" she asked and he shook his head once, his eyes screwed shut as he pushed himself off of the door.

"Not unless I want to get it amputated," he said as he opened the door and began to sit, Zelda wishing she didn't hear the pained noises as he lowered himself into the seat.

"Amputated? That's really all they can do?" she asked as she sat and he nodded once, breathing heavily through his nose.

"After everything yeah... if they had had the tools available at the time I'm sure the doctor overseas would've done it then," he hissed out as he reached for his seatbelt.

"I think you should go to a doctor again," she said as she started the engine and he snorted.

"Why? So they can tell me the same shit I've already heard?"

"When's the last time you went?" Zelda fired back as she turned to him, catching the guilty look in his eyes.

"It's been awhile," he admitted and she scoffed.

"What if there's some surgery or treatment or something now that wasn't available last time? You could be going through all this pain for nothing."

"Zel-"

"No," she shook her head as she pulled out of the parking space, "I know you've probably got a good reason in your mind for not going but I think you should. You're a veteran, there's a hospital a town over specifically for you that will know the latest treatments available."

"I'd have to take off work," he pointed out and she rolled her eyes as they neared the street.

"You could miss a day Ike," she insisted. "If you need food-"

"You're not paying for shit," he growled and she turned her head to face him, only to find him looking out the window. She turned her eyes back to the road, watching traffic as they moved down the busy street.

"I still think you should go," she said softly, changing lanes to be able to turn down the correct street.

XxX

The rest of the ride to the restaurant was spent in an awkward silence, Zelda wishing she knew how to break it. They pulled up to the front and he let out a heavy sigh as he unbuckled. "Thanks for the ride," he mumbled and she nodded, unable to say anything. "Zelda-"

"Thought you were running late." She tensed at how rude the words came out, not meaning for them to have such a harsh edge. He huffed and threw open the door, climbing out quickly with a suppressed noise that sounded like a whine. She kept her eyes locked on her steering wheel as the door slammed loudly, not looking up for a long minute. When she did finally look up Ike was already half inside the side door, his entire posture tense as he vanished inside. A heavy sigh left her lips as she backed out of the parking space and moved to go to his apartment.

XxX

After letting Mew out, which put a fond smile on her lips, Zelda went back to her dorm and started on her homework. She was doing good, having finished one paper and made it to about the halfway point of the other when her phone rang. The tune made her jump, and she stared at Ike's call for a second before answering.

"Hello?" she answered, trying to sound casual.

"Hi is this Zelda?" an unfamiliar, male, and definitely not Ike voice spoke back at her.

"Yes... who's this?"

"Hi I uh, I work with Ike and-"

"Is he okay?" Zelda felt her heart skip an beat, and not a healthy one.

"He fell here at work, well honestly it was more like his leg just gave out... Anyway look he hit his head on the way down so-"

"Is he conscious?" Zelda was already scrambling to her feet, shaky hands grabbing her purse as she moved to the door of her room.

"Yeah but he's not making any sense really. We've called him an ambulance and they'll be here soon."

"Okay, thank you for calling me."

"No problem, he mentioned a Zelda in his ramblings and I hoped it was you since there weren't many contacts in his phone."

"I can be there in about fifteen minutes, tell him I'm coming-"

"Hang on, the ambulance just pulled up," the voice said quickly. "I need to give him back his phone." The call disconnected and Zelda ran out of her dorm, taking the stairs faster than she had ever before in her life.

XxX

By the time Zelda made it to the restaurant the ambulance was gone, making her panic rise. She hopped out of her car and went inside, blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkened interior. "Can I help you?" a vaguely familiar voice of a man asked and she nodded at him.

"My name's Zelda, I-"

"You're Ike's girlfriend," his face fell as he spoke. "I'm the one that called you, I'm Corrin."

"Hi," she flashed him a ridiculously fake fast smile. "Do you know where they took him?"

"They figured out he's a war vet so they took him to the vet hospital," Corrin answered and Zelda nodded her thanks. As she turned though she paused and looked back at him.

"How'd they figure it out?" she asked curiously and he shifted on his feet.

"He freaked out when they tried to strap him to the gurney," he said with a slight wince and Zelda felt her heart drop. "He tried to attack the paramedics and they ended up putting him out. One of them said something about combat training so they took him there... I've worked with Ike for a couple years now, I never knew he was overseas."

"A lot of people don't know," she said before taking a deep breath. "Thanks."

"Yeah." With that she left the restaurant, a new destination in mind.

XxX

Driving down the interstate had never annoyed Zelda more. Everyone was driving too slow or blocking her from getting around. She hadn't even bothered to turn on music as she floored it, preferring the silence to try and calm her racing heart and mind. His leg had given out at work and he had hit his head in the fall. Corrin had said that he wasn't making sense when he was talking, which meant he probably had a concussion. They had to put him under at the scene, and she knew it was bad to lose consciousness when concussed... All the scattered information she had just made everything sound worse. Her phone rang in the cup holder and she jumped, her eyes cutting to the Bluetooth display on her dash. Her mom. Zelda just let it ring as she drove on, not wanting to deal with the drama of that whole scene right then.

XxX

"Excuse me," Zelda gasped out the words to the nurse behind the desk. The older woman looked up at her, over the rim of her sparkly pink glasses perched on her too small nose.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a slightly nasally tone.

"Yes," Zelda nodded once, "I'm here to see Ike Greil, can you tell me what room he's in?" The woman sighed and blinked at her slowly.

"Do you happen to know what his rank is?"

"No I don't I-"

"Are you an emergency contact?" the woman continued.

"No, I didn't know him when he was in the service-"

"I'm sorry then, I can't help you," the woman said as she turned her eyes back to her computer screen. Zelda felt like screaming, but she swallowed back the angry words.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said in an even tone. "I got a call from his coworker that he fell at work and he hit his head and-"

"If you're not immediate family or an emergency contact I can't give you his room number," the woman snipped at her. "I'm sorry but that's the policy around here."

"Look please I understand policies but I'm asking you to please make an exception here," Zelda begged, hearing her own desperation in her tone. "He's my boyfriend and I'm kinda freaking out right now." The lady sighed, her painted pink lips twisting as she eyed Zelda.

"Room four-oh-three," she finally said and Zelda slumped with relief.

"Thank you so much," she breathed before taking off the for nearest elevator. She slapped the up button, bouncing on her feet as the doors slid open. As she jumped inside she hit the button to close the doors and the icon for the fourth floor, her worry building to a point as the doors closed.

"He's going to be fine," she breathed to herself as she rode up slowly, her eyes locked on the display that slowly rolled from first to fourth. "He's going to be fine," she repeated her mantra as the doors opened and she stepped into the horrific smell all hospitals seemed to have. Cleanliness and death. She gulped and looked at the door nearest her, happy that it started with a sign that read 400.

"Can I help you?" a man in an army uniform blocked her path and she tried to suppress a sigh.

"I'm trying to get to Ike in room four-oh-nine," she said and the man nodded once before turning around to escort her to the door. It was the most useless escort of her life, as she was more than capable of reading door numbers, but she thanked him anyway and opened the door without hesitation. As she stepped into the silent room, her eyes scanned the walls first. X-rays were lit up on the wall beside her and she froze, a hand coming to her mouth in shock.

Ike's left leg X-ray looked like a mistake. She wished she could say it was, but the marks of bright white lining the femur told her exactly why he walked with a limp. His leg had been broken in several places, never set correctly, and had healed in a mockery of what it should have looked like. She counted the calcified fractures, wincing and having to stop once she made it to twenty.

"Zelda?" Ike's voice made her practically run to the bed and she looked down at his bandaged head with a sad smile.

"Hey you," she whispered as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Like absolute shit," he grumbled as he looked down at the blanket covering his lap. "I could barely convince them to unhook me in the ambulance on the way over."

"Corrin said they put you out," she commented and he shrugged.

"Lotta stuff doesn't work on me long thanks to my training," he told her as he looked at her hands. Zelda immediately leaned forward and took his, mindful of the IV taped there. "What are you... why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked in disbelief. "I dropped everything the second I got the phone call. I was worried I... do you not want me here?"

"No," he said quickly, bringing their joined hands to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her fingers. "I want you here more than I should say but I just... I didn't think you'd still want to be with my broken ass."

"Ike," she shook her head and leaned forward, kissing his lips gently, "I want to be here. And nothing is going to change me wanting to be with you." He huffed and she scowled as he looked away.

"Easy to say now," he muttered and she scoffed. Just as she was about to tell him where he could shove his negative attitude the door opened again and a man walked in, his uniform hidden by a white lab coat.

"Greil," he greeted in a deep tone and Zelda looked up at his bald head and dark rimmed glasses, "we have to talk about this. You're supposed to have your cane handy at all times, when was the last time you used it?"

"Last night, to help me get around my apartment sir," Ike said in a tone Zelda didn't recognize. She looked at her boyfriend, saw the way he sat straighter in his bed, and realized he was in full soldier mode.

"Greil..." the doctor shook his head and held up a file marked with so many confidential stamps Zelda couldn't help but wonder what secrets it held. "I've been allowed access to this. I know exactly what you've been through overseas, every last mission, every injury... My god kid the fact that you're still alive is nothing short of a miracle." Zelda felt Ike's hand in hers twitch, watched his throat bob with a heavy gulp.

"Sir-"

"And I know about your rough homecoming, how the system failed you. I'm sorry for that, and I swear I will do whatever I can to make sure you get the finest treatment now."

"What treatment? Last time I was here they said the best they could do was to amputate," Ike's voice held a hint of disbelief.

"The last time you were at any doctor we have record of was over four years ago," the doctor replied with a pointed look. "I know you were conditioned to endure pain but that's pushing it, even for you. They gave you limitless refills on that pain medication and you've only filled it..." he looked down at a note stuck to the front of the file, "seven times. How are you even walking today?"

"I'll use the cane more alright?" Ike huffed, looking down at the blanket over his legs once again.

"You broke your leg in the explosion," the doctor spoke in a softer tone and Zelda tensed next to Ike. "They captured you and-"

"I fucking know what happened," Ike snapped, glaring up at the doctor. "I relive it every goddamn time a car backfires, a story's on the news... I know what happened to me, what happened to my brothers, and every time it resurfaces I ask myself why not me too." Ike was shaking subtly in the bed next to her and Zelda squeezed his hand, trying to keep the pain from her expression when he glanced at her. The doctor cleared his throat and looked down at the file in his hands.

"We'll need to take a few new X-rays, see what damage has been done over so much time, then we can discuss options for treatment."

"Sure," Ike nodded once, the one word dripping with sarcasm. The doctor nodded and left, closing the door behind him. A heavy silence fell between them as Zelda tried to find the words to tell him that everything was going to be fine.

"Ike," she turned to face him better and he shook his head.

"I'll be fine. You can leave," he said dismissively and she stared at him in shock. He stared right into her eyes, pain not well masked by a stoic expression in his dark circle lined eyes. "This is the part where you say this is too much for you, you didn't sign up for this, and you leave. No harm done, I completely understand." She could see how badly he was lying, how her leaving right now would completely break him, and she sighed heavily.

"You really think I'm that easy to get rid of?" she asked with a small smile. He stared at her, obviously not believing a word she said, and she sighed before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I'm not. You'll have to throw a lot more at me than what you have."

"You're crazy," he huffed his words out, the closest thing to a laugh, even one of disbelief, she had heard from his lips. "If I told you everything you'd run for the hills."

"Test your theory then," she said boldly, knowing no matter what he told her, she'd never leave him over his past. He stared at her for a long time, his eyes searching her face for any signs of misgivings or second thoughts. Obviously he found none when he let out a heavy sigh that almost broke her heart to hear.

"Alright..."

 **XXX**

 **And I'll leave off here because I believe this chapter is long enough now. Evil? Perhaps! Do I care? Yes, which is why as soon as I'm done typing this the next one will be typed up as well! See? I have a heart. Special thanks to ImOnNirvana, concisponci, Sidhmeril, Qoh22, Purple Mercenary, and pockettangerine for reviewing last chapter! Next chapter we find out about everything Ike's been through, so maybe brace yourself? Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	12. Chapter 12

"I guess for you to really understand everything I have to tell you more than just how I got like this," Ike motioned vaguely at his body, making Zelda nod once. "In high school I had a girlfriend, and I was hopelessly in love with her. The night we graduated she told me she thought she was pregnant," he let out a heavy sigh and Zelda squeezed his hand gently, trying to be supportive of this completely unknown chapter of his life. "So I scrapped all my plans for college and did what I thought was right. She looked so scared to tell me... but the second the words left her lips I knew what I had to do. I proposed right there on the spot, she said yes, and the next day we got the marriage license and I talked to recruiters so I could properly take care of my soon to be wife and child. I uh," he shook his head, "was immediately accepted into the marines, practically on sight, and was given a week before basic. So we went down to the courthouse with my mom and sister and got married, and a week later I shipped out for training."

Zelda tried not to let the shock of hearing he had been married, or that he possibly had a child somewhere, show on her face but knew she failed when he looked her in the eye and let out a slight groan. "You want me to stop?" he asked, voice tense, like he was expecting her to bolt at any second.

"No," she shook her head firmly. "Hearing about you having been married, and the possibility that you have a kid somewhere-"

"I don't," he interjected and Zelda snapped her mouth shut. "When I was allowed my call after a few weeks of basic I called her and she told me she wasn't. She cried, begged me to forgive her, but there was nothing in my mind to forgive. I told her everything was fine, and went back to basic with a little less worry in the back of my mind.

"Then, about two weeks away from getting out of basic, I got called into the Master Chief's office. I was doing too good, and they were pulling me out of normal basic and putting me in some spec ops program. I was nervous for the first time about enlisting... because spec ops meant definitely going overseas. Then I got in the program and damn if it wasn't the best thing for me. I was practically the younger brother of the group of us. We trained, drank, smoked, and bonded like I didn't know eight strangers could. Before I knew it my extended training was over and I was going home for a few days before leaving for the first time." He took a shaky breath and glanced at Zelda, who just gave him an encouraging squeeze of his fingers.

"Still here," she whispered and he nodded.

"Went home, spent time with my wife, mom, and sister, then I was on a plane with my squad going who knows where to do who knew what. I did a lot of bad stuff over there Zelda," he ran his free hand down his face as he spoke. "You know all that shit on the news about torture, clearing out entire villages, impossibly high enemy death tolls? That was mostly us. Eight guys trained to kill, to get the job done, and we more than succeeded at that. We were the unofficial cleanup crew, we went in places far too dangerous for the normal soldiers... we were like machines on our missions.

"I spent over a year overseas," he continued with a small shake of his head, "and came home to the best homecoming ever. I had two weeks and I spent every minute with my wife. Then I was leaving again, right back at it like we hadn't stopped. Two months into our second tour, we lost a teammate. It was an operation that should've been a quick in, grab the target, and get out, but we were ambushed. Most of us came out of that with a bullet somewhere... I got hit in the shoulder," he tapped his left shoulder and Zelda scowled. "We limped back to base, our first failure, and one dead body in tow. They patched us up, but we were all... mentally damaged by losing a brother. They couldn't lose the best spec ops team, so they desensitized us to violence, to the idea that our lives meant anything, and before we knew it we were better than ever."

"How is that better?" Zelda asked in horror and he huffed.

"We lost our empathy, all signs of compassion." She paled and he shrugged. "It got to the point that a bullet didn't bother me. I'd limp back and get stitched up only to be out there a day or two later. We were unstoppable and losing a member only made the rest of us closer." Zelda knew there was so much more to his story, but her stomach was already sick from everything she heard. A part of her wanted to ask him to stop, but she had to hear the rest of it.

"Then we lost two more," he sighed the words. "A damn bomb in a building, while trying to save some lives. I got out with just some minor scrapes, as did the others... but we lost our commander and his right hand man. So eight became five and it became this unspoken rule that we paired up, with our new commander flying solo. It worked for awhile," he shrugged it off and Zelda squeezed his hand gently.

"You're leaving out a lot, aren't you?" she asked softly and he snorted.

"There's so much I've done that no one knows about but some jackass sitting behind a desk somewhere... I've done the kinds of things that if I tell you, you'll get in trouble. Like black unmarked vans come get you trouble," he gave her a small smirk at that and she shook her head.

"They brought us back home," he began again, "but not to our families. We had more training after that. Bombs, dismantling them, building them... we had to learn a lot to help us in the future. They also introduced us to poisons and drugs, helped us build up some crazy immunities. That's why I woke up in the ambulance on the way over here. The strongest sleeping pills can't put me out for more than an hour." She shook her head again and he shrugged. "You really want to know more?"

"I do," she nodded to add emphasis and he sighed.

"You should go Zelda I'm too fucked up for you."

"Ike," she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, "I want to know, I want to help."

"Okay, but the next part is worse than any other shit you've ever heard in your life," he warned and she looked down at their joined hands, noting for the first time the faded scars on the back of his hand.

"I want to know," she said firmly.

"There was this village," he said the words with a small grin, "a tiny little poor town with hardly enough food to go around. These kids," he huffed happily, "would kick around this old, half flat soccer ball in the middle of the only road in or out. We came across the place looking for our target and... we bought the kids a new ball, shared our food, and they praised us. Treated us like we were good people." Zelda looked up at him, shocked to see tears lining his eyes locked on the memory. "It felt good, to be heroes for once, not the guys that silenced a room when we walked in. We stayed around there for a long time, helped the wives cook, played with these incredible kids... We were happy with these amazing people who didn't have a penny to their names. This one kid," he blinked hard and Zelda watched as a lone tear slid down his cheek, "would run right up to me. I'd scoop him up and place him on my shoulders, and he'd whoop like it was the most amazing thing he'd ever done.

"We got orders to leave and I bought up half the base's supply of candy, gave every last bar to those kids and their moms, and they cried as we left. I uh," he wiped another stray tear from his cheek, "left a phone there with the boy's mom so he could talk to me whenever he wanted to. For a week we didn't hear a peep out of them... And then it happened."

"What?" Zelda asked in a whisper and he sighed.

"My phone rang, but it wasn't him. Insurgents found the village, found out we were there just a week before, and they took the fucking kids. They wanted us for them." A gasp left Zelda's lips and he nodded. "We rushed back, abandoning a mission to do it. They set a damn good trap for us and we set it off like goddamn rats. Our transport hit a pothole, a mine went off, and next thing I knew I was blinking blood out of my eyes."

"Ike," she barely breathed his name and he licked his lips.

"I came to first, noticed the transport was on fire, and scrambled to get my team out of there. Our commander," he shut his eyes, "his neck was twisted all wrong in the front seat, my brother driving... I couldn't find his head. I was alive, with a broken leg and a few broken ribs, which I found out when I tried to move out of the burning transport. My scream pulled my two surviving brothers to consciousness and they... god they were in worse shape then me. I don't know how, but we managed to crawl out of the flipped transport. Crawled out right at their feet," he winced and shut his eyes again.

"They had a video camera, pulled my brother closest to death up to his knees, and forced me and my partner to watch as they cut his head off with a knife."

"Oh goddesses," Zelda's stomach turned and she swallowed back the bile that rose with his words.

"They took us back to their hideout, chained us up so we were facing each other, and just..." his hand on hers tightened almost painfully. "They tortured us. For days. Weeks... almost a month. Nothing but pain. They cut chunks of skin off of us, whipped us... their favorite thing to do was smash a metal pipe against my broken leg."

"Ike," Zelda had to press her free hand to her mouth, her lunch wanting to spill onto the bed in front of her.

"They recorded every second of it, sent to I'm guessing the marines, the army I don't know. They'd ask for information, promised the pain would stop if we gave in. We never did. Then one day they got tired of it. They unchained my only remaining brother and forced me to watch as they killed him," tears were flowing down his cheeks unchecked as he spoke, every word leaving his lips in a shaky whisper. "I was next, I knew it, and I was ready. I braced myself for death, knowing I'd never see my wife, my mom, my sister ever again. I embraced a death that didn't come.

"They unchained me the next day, put the knife to my throat still coated in my brother's blood, and the fucking calvary showed up. Every last man in there was shot on sight. God Zelda I begged them to put a bullet in me, I pleaded with them..." Zelda was crying harder than him, wishing he was somehow lying, her heart in pieces for the man sitting on the bed with her. "They field dressed my wounds and flew me to the nearest army doctor. I was patched up as best the doctor could, and sent back home to be hospitalized. I was there for a week in a medically induced coma while they took the time to operate, fix what they could..." He looked at her then with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. "My wife came in to see me when they woke me up. Papers in hand, she begged me to sign them. She couldn't handle the scarred mess of a man that had come back to her. I couldn't blame her, just like I couldn't blame her for the small bump under her shirt that couldn't have possibly be mine. I signed them, she left... that's the last I ever saw of her. When they discharged me from the hospital I couldn't even walk. I was still an open wound, barely alive when I was awarded meaningless medals and honorably discharged for my service.

"My mom took me back to her house, cared for me, did everything above and beyond what should've ever been asked of her. I was a wreck, going through so much... When I slept I had nonstop nightmares, so I would go as long as possible without sleeping. I went to my appointments, both for my head and my body, and was told I was basically a waste of a human life at that point. I'd probably never recover, neither mentally or physically. I went home and downed half a bottle of sleeping pills, only to come to with my hands around my mom's throat. I backed away, begging her to please understand, but that was what broke her. She told me to leave, to never darken her door again. So I did," he nodded his head a few times. "I was homeless for a month, found a job, and never stopped working. I couldn't stand the pain of my leg but I couldn't go back home, I had to work. So I just fell back onto my training, got my own place, found jobs that were within walking distance..." he gave a slow blink and shifted on the bed slightly. "I couldn't handle people, the very idea of anyone caring about me was beyond my comprehension. I withdrew completely, letting everyone think I was some asshole who didn't like anyone. It worked beautifully, no one talked to me, everyone avoided me, no one cared to ask me questions when I limped because they all saw me as some dick, not even a human." He looked at her then, a small grin curling up his lips. "Then you came along. After years of being on my own, of getting everyone to hate me, this absolute knockout of a woman decides she's not going to fall for my shit." Zelda let out a breathless laugh at that, a blush crawling up her cheeks at his compliment. "God it was so tempting to just give in to your niceness, let someone in... but I couldn't. I didn't want to learn to care about another person only to lose them again. So I shoved you away as hard as I could, but you were the most persistent thing I'd ever met and now... you're actually sitting here, in a fucking vet hospital with me. I don't deserve this, I don't deserve the air I'm breathing, and I definitely don't deserve you."

"Ike," she shook her head and placed her free hand against his cheek, "you deserve so much more than this. You have to see that on some level."

"I'm terrified of you," he whispered instead of answering her as he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "I'm not even close to good enough for you and I fucking know that, just like I know one day you'll realize that too. Then I'll be on my own again, like I'm supposed to be." That did it. Zelda couldn't take the way his voice shook in his whisper anymore. She forced his face back to hers and kissed him, kissed him like her life depended on it. His hand slid from hers and gripped her hip as he returned the passionate kiss, his other hand tangling in her hair. Her lungs burned for a proper breath after awhile, but she refused to pull away from the intimate dance of their lips.

He pulled back after a long moment and searched her eyes, his own looking haunted. "I don't want pity," he said softly. "I told you that you could leave and it would be understood. I meant that Zelda I-"

"I don't pity you, and I did not just kiss you like that only to get up and go," she said firmly, her eyes locked on his. "I did that because I care more about you than anyone else in the world. I can't really comprehend everything you've been through, and I don't understand how you're still alive but selfishly Ike," she gave him a small smile, "I'm so happy you are. Ike I... can't imagine my life without you now. I want you in my life for the rest of it. Scars, limps, nightmares... I don't care about them because I love you." She snapped her mouth shut at that, shocked that the words had slipped out, but more shocked that she hadn't realized it before. She was in love with Ike, hopelessly so, and she was astounded that it took her that long to realize it. He was looking at her with widened eyes, his jaw slightly dropped in shock.

"You... you didn't mean that did you?" he asked in a shaky tone.

"I did because I do," she said seriously, watching a million emotions flash across his face before he pulled her back to him, crashing their lips together painfully. She was stunned at first, but found the ferocious rhythm he set and followed his lead, loving his hands running through her hair, down her back, gripping her hips, and when they settled down with one hand gripping her neck gently and the other on her hip she wanted nothing more than to climb onto his lap and take things farther.

"Shit," he gasped when they parted for some much needed air. "You can't do those things to me when I'm hooked up to these machines," he chuckled gently and she smiled as she pressed a soft kiss to his reddened lips.

"Then I'll do them when you get out of here," she whispered and he gave her the first real smile she had ever seen on his face.

"Now that's incentive," he said as he stole another quick kiss. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, swallowing thickly. "I haven't said it in years, and it scares me that I want to say it and that I mean it now."

"What?" she asked curiously and he took her hand in his gently.

"I love you too." The words made a big smile stretch across Zelda's lips and she couldn't help but pull him into another bruising kiss.

"Ike?" A voice softly asking his name made both of them pull apart, and Zelda stared in confusion at Ike's pale face as he stared at the person who had walked into his room.

"Mom?" The word was whispered in shock and Zelda whirled to see the woman from the photo hidden in his apartment standing there awkwardly in the doorway. "What-what are you doing here?"

"They called me when you were admitted," she explained as she pushed a long few strands of hair the same color as Ike's behind her ear. "I... I was worried and thought I'd check on you." She glanced at Zelda and Zelda wasn't sure what to do. Should she smile? Offer to leave?

"I uh," she turned to Ike to see him look a mix of happy and sad at the sight of his mother. "Do you want me to go?" she asked softly and he gripped her hand tightly in his.

"No," he shook his head, worry shining bright in his eyes.

"I'm Elena," the woman walked forward carefully, her eyes going between the two of them warily, "I'm Ike's mother... though I've been very distant lately."

"I did as you said," Ike said in a neutral tone, one Zelda recognized from the day they met, "I left and didn't come back. I stayed away, I didn't call-"

"That's not what I wanted Ike," she seemed near tears as she stopped by the edge of his bed, her eyes somewhere on his covered legs. "It just... you scared me. For the first time I had to see what happened to my son over there, how it had changed you. Helping you walk around the house was one thing, actually seeing the boy I once could hold in my arms turn into a man that has killed more people than I care to think about... I felt like I failed as a mother, that you-"

"You never failed me Mom," he insisted firmly. "And I didn't blame you for wanting me to leave. I know what I did over there and if I hadn't snapped out of it I might've snapped your neck. I'm sorry, I know it doesn't make up for it, but I am."

"I should've reached out to you sooner," she said shakily and Ike held out his hand, the other still holding Zelda's tightly. Elena took the offered hand and her tears poured down her cheeks.

"Don't fucking cry Mom," Ike borderline whined and Elena laughed lightly. "I hate when you cry, you know that."

"I know," she sniffed and wiped the trails from her cheeks. Zelda felt a little out of place, like the moment most definitely didn't need her presence, and wondered what was the best way out of the room. "And who's this?" Elena looked right at her, a small but warm smile on her lips.

"This is Zelda," Ike gave her a small grin that Zelda couldn't help but return, "she's my girlfriend." Elena beamed at her then, her sadness melting away as she leaned across Ike and took Zelda's free hand.

"It's absolutely wonderful to meet you dear," she said and Zelda smiled back.

"I'm glad to meet you too."

"Greil," the doctor walked into the room with his eyes glued to the chart in his hands, "we're ready for your X-rays." He looked up from the chart and nodded at the trio of people. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Ike gave a nod and a nurse wheeled in a wheelchair. "Oh come on, I can actually walk."

"Not under my watch," the doctor stated firmly and Ike sighed as Elena moved away to let the nurse get beside the bed.

"I can do it," Ike borderline snapped as she reached out to help him. Zelda watched nervously as he moved from the bed to the chair, a pained grunt leaving his lips. "See? I'm not some damn helpless bastard."

"Ike they're only trying to help," Elena said gently and Zelda stood up from the bed.

"I'll wait here," she offered and he nodded as they wheeled him out of the room.

"I should go, shouldn't I?" Elena asked with a sigh. Zelda turned to her, confused why she would think that was the best option.

"Why?"

"He doesn't want me here, I can see it in his eyes. I abandoned him when he needed me the most, tossed him out... he doesn't blame me but he hasn't forgiven me."

"He told me a lot of what he's been through," Zelda said carefully. "The story churned my stomach, every last detail. He needs to have a steady support system right now, can you be there for that?"

"God Zelda I don't..." Elena had tears in her eyes again, blinking them back quickly. "I want to be there but every time I see him I just think of what I did-"

"If you want him to forgive you then you're going to have to earn it," Zelda's words were harsh, but spoken gently. "Yes you abandoned him, and it helped get him here, but the damage can be undone. You just have to try."

"How?" Elena asked, looking to her with hope in her eyes.

"Calling him every other day, checking in, things like that," Zelda shrugged her shoulders.

"I wasn't there, but at least you were," Elena said sadly and Zelda couldn't help her slight blush.

"I haven't been there near long enough," she admitted. "We just started dating, and after hearing about his ex wife that's a huge step for him." Elena nodded before shaking her head.

"That girl was nothing but trouble, I'm glad his taste has improved."

"I don't know about all that," Zelda dodged the compliment with a shy smile, "but he's a great guy and deserves the world."

"He does," Elena nodded and glanced at the small watch on her wrist. "I need to go, otherwise I'll be late to work. Will you tell him that's why I left?"

"Of course," Zelda nodded and Elena moved to her, surprising her with a warm hug.

"Be good to my boy," she said as she pulled away, "he's been through enough."

"Don't worry, he's been trying to get rid of me since we met and it hasn't worked yet," Zelda said with a devilish smile and Elena laughed.

"I like you," she proclaimed as she moved towards the door. Zelda watched her leave before sitting on the bed, the events of the day finally catching up to her.

"Goddesses," she breathed in shock as she tried to focus her mind, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. She had learned what she wanted to, and she had realized she had fallen in love with the man behind the stories. Ike, her coworker that had been rude to her from the start, was now so much more.

XxX

Zelda sat there for what felt like hours, processing all the horrible things Ike had told her. When the door opened again she looked up to see Ike getting wheeled back inside by a different nurse. "Hey," she greeted him with a smile that he returned with a half smirk. "How'd the X-rays go?"

"I don't know what they show, but I got them done," he shrugged as the nurse stopped the wheelchair by the bed. "I've got it," he insisted as he hauled himself up from the wheelchair into the bed, the nurse shaking her head. When he got settled she reattached the various equipment that had been hooked up to him, bringing a scowl to his lips. "I hate being hooked up to shit," he huffed with a glance at Zelda, "it never means anything good."

"They have to hook you up," she pointed out as she took her seat beside him again. Ike took her hand in his and she looked down at his hand, tracing a faded scar with her finger gently.

"Visiting hours will be over soon," the nurse warned as she wheeled the chair towards the door.

"Do you think you could stop by my place and take care of Mew for the night? Just let her in, feed her, and maybe play with her for a little while?"

"Of course," Zelda said with a small smile. "When I get out of class tomorrow I'll come back by okay?" He nodded and scratched at his hair with his free hand.

"Mom left huh?"

"She said something about having to go to work," Zelda explained and he nodded a little. "I think you should call her tomorrow, maybe start trying to mend the damage done?"

"Zelda it's hard enough on me mentally to be trying to trust the promise that I'll see you tomorrow," he admitted, "I don't know how much more I can handle right now."

"We'll take it a day at a time okay?" She squeezed his hand and he nodded, not quite looking at her.

"Visiting hours are over," a nurse called from the doorway and Zelda gave him a warm smile.

"I'll be here as soon as I can tomorrow okay?" He nodded and she leaned forward, pressed a lingering kiss to his lips, and stood up. As she walked to the door she felt eyes tracking her every move. She paused at the door and tossed a little wink over her shoulder, catching his grin as he settled down further in the bed.

 **XXX**

 **Well? What did you guys think? I've honestly based parts of his backstory on various stories I've heard from war veterans spanning different wars. From my Popo the WW2 vet who told me about an enemy soldier bashing his teeth in with a rifle butt, and him brutally killing him with his bare hands in retaliation, to my brother's friend telling me about surviving a car bomb attack. I hope I did the tragedy justice, I feel like this version of Ike deserves the best. Special thanks to my reviewers last chapter Purple Mercenary, Qoh22, and ImOnNirvana for really spurring me on to get this chapter out faster! I hope you enjoyed! Much love, Leigh**


	13. Chapter 13

Zelda drove from the hospital to Ike's apartment, finding a very impatient Mew at his door. "Hey there sweetie," she cooed as she scooped the white ball of fluff into her arms. Mew let out a small meow, immediately purring as she rubbed her head against Zelda's fingers. "I bet your dad is missing you huh?" she talked to the small kitten as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Let's get you fed." As she set Mew on the floor, the ball of fluff took off, pouncing on one of her toys.

The chime of Zelda's phone pulled her from watching the cute kitten attack the defenseless fabric mouse and she checked it with a curious brow furrowed. A text from Ike looked back at her, making her smile. 'Can I call?' She smiled as she dialed him, moving to his kitchen to get Mew fed.

"Hey." His greeting sounded nervous and Zelda paused in grabbing the bag of cat food.

"Hey, are you okay?" The worry showed in her voice but she couldn't help it, not after everything with him today.

"I'm having a minor freak out about everything," he admitted and she frowned as she opened the cat food bag.

"What do you mean?"

"They want to do this surgery..." he took a deep breath. "It's not gonna fix my leg but it'll keep it from getting worse."

"That's a good thing though right?" she asked as she poured the bag, Mew racing over to her immediately.

"Yeah but I can't do it Zelda. I've gotta work and the recovery time alone... I'd miss too much work to keep the place."

"Ike I can help-"

"No," he said firmly and she sighed.

"Please let me finish," she begged. "Let me help you with your rent. You need this surgery, it'll help you feel better and I want that more than anything."

"I can't let you do that," he said back at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Why not? What crazy Ike reason is there for me to not help out my boyfriend?"

"I'm not with you for your money and-"

"You think I'm dumb enough to get that idea when I offered to help?" she asked with a soft laugh. "Ike, if you wanted my money you would have done more to show me that by now. You haven't at all... in fact you've been ridiculously stubborn about paying for things. You're going to get this surgery done, and I'm going to help with your rent okay?"

"It's nice of you Zelda, it really is, but how the hell am I supposed to get upstairs while I'm wheelchair bound for healing? Even if they give me crutches I can't climb three flights of stairs."

"We'll figure it out," she said quickly, her mind trying and failing to come up with alternatives. Then it dawned on her. "You could stay with me at the dorm. There's an elevator and I could be with you longer because I wouldn't have to leave to get ready for class."

"Don't you have roommates? I'm going to be recovering for about a month," his voice was unsure but the fact that he at least seemed possibly open to the idea gave Zelda hope.

"I do have roommates, and I share the bathroom with the least obnoxious one but they're not even there half the time. Usually after class they go shopping and in the evenings they all hit the bars."

"No offense meant to you, but I really don't want to be the creepy older guy with crutches hanging around a bunch of college girls," he said and she laughed at that, honestly unsure of the idea herself. Could she trust her roommates to leave him alone? Would they try to flirt with him? They were all pretty easy, she had heard them talking about their various one night stands, would Ike be tempted by that?

"Well then I'll think of something else okay?" she offered and he huffed.

"Sure, a magical option I haven't thought of," he was slightly snippy with his tone, which made Zelda frown.

"I'm trying here Ike."

"I'm sorry, I am too," he grunted and she heard the distinctive noise of the hospital bed moving. "I can't stand being in a hospital, I fucking feel useless. And if they poke me with one more fucking needle I'm going to stab someone." She smiled at that with a small shake of her head.

"Be nice Ike, it's just their job."

"I feel like I'm feeding an army of vampires," he huffed and she laughed a little.

"Well," she decided to change the subject and hopefully improve his mood, "I'm here with Mew now, she's devouring her dinner."

"Good, I miss the little shit."

"I think she misses you too," she said as Mew looked up at her, meowing before going back to her meal. "I miss you," she admitted with a shy smile and heard his hum of response.

"I miss you too. They were talking about discharging me soon since there's nothing they can do unless I opt for the surgery."

"Well if they send you home let me know and I'll be more than happy to give you a ride."

"Aren't you tired of seeing me?" he asked and she snorted.

"Oh so very tired of your handsome face and gorgeous eyes," she responded and he huffed.

"I should go, before I get caught on my phone when I'm supposed to be resting. Zelda I... the fact that you even answered my call eases some of my worry about all this."

"Ike," she said his name gently, "I'm not going anywhere. You can trust me to be there okay?"

"I'm trying babe, I really am." She smiled at that, the term of affection unexpected.

"I know... babe," she stressed the word and could almost hear his eye roll.

"Do you want me to not call you that? Are there approved terms of endearment I should have a list of?"

"I'll get it to you," she teased.

"Good, I'd hate to mess up again," he replied sarcastically and she laughed.

"Alright you, go rest. I love you." The words left her lips without hesitation and she could almost hear the upward curve of his lips when he responded.

"I love you too." With that the call ended and Zelda found she couldn't help but smile down at Mew who now looked up at her, the cat bowl completely empty.

"Well weren't you hungry?" she cooed as she scooped the kitten into her arms. "I should just take you back with me, but then I know Ike wouldn't like that." She kissed the white fur of her head and the kitten began to purr loudly. She walked to the bed and laid down with Mew on her chest, the kitten immediately snuggling in for affection. "What can we do Mew? Your daddy needs that surgery for his leg, but he can't get upstairs here... I'd say my dorm but I really don't want to deal with my roommates and their ways around Ike." Mew purred loudly on her chest, her eyes dropping closed and Zelda snorted.

"Gee, way to help there you," she said as she continued scratching her soft fur. She pondered her predicament for awhile, an idea slowly forming in the back of her mind. "It's just crazy enough to work," she said to no one as she pulled her phone gently from her back pocket to not disturb the snoozing kitten.

'Do you think you can get the surgery done over my winter break? It's in a few weeks.' She sent the text off to Ike, hoping he'd respond. She wasn't disappointed, as her phone buzzed a moment later.

'I think so why?'

'Because I have a solution for the whole no stairs thing. Would you be okay to travel?'

'How far? What are you thinking?' Zelda smiled at her phone for moment before pulling up the string of texts to her mom.

'Mom, sorry I missed your call earlier I was driving in heavy traffic. What are yours and dad's plans over my winter break?' She pulled the texts from Ike back up and watched the dots appear on the screen as he typed another message.

'I can travel but not far comfortably.'

'I'm getting something set up don't worry ;)' she sent the text just as one came through from her mom.

'Oh it's fine for missing the call honey! I'm glad you're driving safe! As for our plans we're going to be overseas for a lot of it, unavoidable unfortunately. Will you be okay?'

'Definitely. I was thinking about hitting the cabin for my break, just a break from everything so I can destress. Would that be okay?'

'Sure honey! I'll go ahead and get it set up to be fully stocked when you arrive. Definitely need you to be stress free over the break! But are you sure you want to spend Christmas there all alone? We could fly you out to where we are.'

'Honestly Mom I just want to spend lazy days in my pajamas binge watching some shows to catch up.'

'I understand that. I'll get it all set up just tell me when you want to get there okay?'

'Thanks Mom! I'll let you know probably tomorrow.'

'Sounds good!' With that Zelda smiled down at her phone, a weight lifted off her chest. The cabin was small, warm, and while it had an upstairs, everything Ike would need was downstairs as well. Without hesitating she dialed her boyfriend, scratching the sleeping kitten absentmindedly.

"Hey," he greeted, sounding more exhausted than before.

"Are you getting sleepy?" she cooed at him and he gave a half hearted huff.

"Babe I'm so doped up with various sleeping pills right now it's probably a deadly concoction for anyone else." That made her scowl.

"They gave you sleeping pills?"

"Intravenously," he explained. "Didn't know until my eyes dropped half closed in the middle of the random soap opera I had stopped on."

"You're watching a soap opera?" she asked with a giggle.

"They get that and the local news on these fucking outdated televisions. Have you seen the local action news? Two creepers with bad camera angles that think they're hot shit, and pseudo hot chicks to bring in male viewers. So yeah, the doctor drama with a torrid love affair is the better option." She laughed lightly at that, imagining him getting hooked on the show and caught up in the drama.

"Well then, Ike's a secret soap fan, I'll keep that in mind."

"Shut up," he slurred, reminding her that he was under the influence of sleeping pills.

"Well hey, are you awake enough to understand what I'm about to say? I've got a place set up for us after your surgery."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah, can you set up your surgery for a couple days before I go on break? That way you'll be discharged by my break and we can go."

"Sure." He was fading fast, and she was shaking her head with suppressed giggles over how cute he sounded falling asleep. "I'll... talk to the doctor... tomorrow."

"Okay you, get some sleep okay?"

"That's what they want," he mumbled, his words practically indiscernible from each other.

"I love you Ike, bye."

"Love you too." She ended the call with a smile, looking down at the kitten currently rolling over in her sleep, putting her soft fluffy stomach in the air.

XxX

Zelda didn't mean to fall asleep on Ike's bed, but when her alarm went off that's where she was, Mew pawing at her phone curiously. She smiled at the curious kitten as she picked her phone up, turning off the alarm and accepting the fluff ball immediately turning her attention to Zelda's exposed fingers. "Don't bite," she chastised half heartedly as the kitten tried to nibble on her forefinger. "Are you so hungry you have to eat me?" She got out of the bed and walked to the kitchen, suddenly realizing that they would have to take Mew with them to the cabin.

"So little missy," she said as she grabbed the food bag, "do you want to go on a vacation with me and your dad?" Mew meowed up at her, tangling herself around Zelda's legs as she bent to pour her food into the bowl. Once the first few pieces hit the bowl Mew untangled and dove in, Zelda laughing at her exuberance. "Hurry up and eat, I've gotta get to class." It was a pointless thing to say, as the little kitten was already devouring her breakfast with the gusto of a starving man. She pulled out her phone and pulled up her texts to Ike, wondering if he was still resting.

'I ended up falling asleep over here with Mew. Do you remember what we talked about last night?' She slid her phone into her back pocket, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she realized she didn't have enough time to get back to her dorm to change before her first class. Her phone buzzed and she checked it, shaking her head.

'Glad Mew had the company. Conversation last night is a bit of a blur? They drugged me up really good...'

'I asked if you could schedule your surgery for a few days before my break. I have a place ready for us while you're healing up.'

'Where?'

'I'll explain later. I didn't set my alarm for early enough to get to my dorm and then to class on time.'

'You can explain when you swing by later, smuggling Mew in your purse.' She laughed as she moved to the front door, Mew following dutifully.

'I don't think they'll approve of her presence. I need to drive so I'll text you later okay?'

'Yeah. I'll sit here and get poked with more needles and get more tests. Oh the fun day I have ahead of me.' Zelda shook her head and opened the front door, Mew shooting outside quickly.

XxX

Zelda went through her classes, her mind able to focus finally on lectures with having figured out what to do with Ike so he could get better. She was nervous to spend so much time alone with him, how could she not be, but this would be good for him in more ways than one. He would get the rest he desperately needed and he would see that she wasn't going to leave him over this, no matter what the outcome was. She smiled to herself at the thought, making a mental note to text him after class, and tuned back into the lecture.

XxX

'Have you fed the army yet?' The text would hopefully make him laugh, or huff in his case, as she walked to the on campus sandwich shop.

'I asked for more info on the surgery so they've been explaining exactly what that entails.'

'And?' She wanted to know, but knew this could be hard for him to talk about.

'And let's just say I'll be setting off metal detectors for the rest of my life. They're basically turning my leg into a pin cushion.' She nodded her head at that, having expected something like that to be his option.

'So what? You'll be feeling better and that's what matters.'

'You're a ray of sunshine. I need that.' She blushed at that, a smile curling up her lips.

'And you're my rain cloud.'

'Gee thanks. How was class?'

'Okay, got some reading to do but other than that it's all good.'

'So... when are you swinging by?'

'After I eat I have one more class then I'm all yours.'

'Awesome. I could use the company. Some dude in a wheelchair keeps coming in here and spouting nonsense at me. Doc told me his brain got fried over there. Kinda makes me wonder why the hell I'm not exactly like him.'

'Because you're strong and, while you didn't know it at the time, you had to meet me :P' she smiled as she sent the text, the thought having crossed her mind. How had Ike managed to come back? He was beyond a miracle of modern medicine, beyond even a strong willed individual to be able to function as well as he had after everything.

'Ha yeah, imagine if I hadn't been sent home I would still be over there and you'd be with a normal guy.'

'Ike stop that. I'm not sorry I'm with you. I happen to like you.'

'That's because there's something seriously wrong with you :P have you looked in a mirror? Any guy would be lucky to have you Zelda, I mean it.' She rolled her eyes and pushed open the door to the sandwich shop. She let her eyes roam over the gathered students, not a single male in the space even remotely close to attractive to her.

'Well that's nice but I don't want any guy.' She pocketed her phone and ordered her lunch, a small sandwich and a bag of cheesy chips that would turn her fingertips orange. She took a seat and pulled out her phone again, shaking her head at Ike's response.

'Well that's two things I'm lucky about then huh? Ugh hang on, nurse needs me to eat this so called "food" they serve here.' She smiled as she set her phone down and started eating, her mind on just how crazy her life had changed in a twenty four hour span of time. Ike was her boyfriend, she knew the general idea of what he went through, and she had realized she was in love with him. She knew what her parents would say about it; that it was too soon, she wouldn't know something like that for a long time. Perhaps for most people that worked, taking their time and accepting it much further into a relationship, but not for Zelda. She had known the minute she laid eyes on Link that he was going to be her best friend, that he would be the brother she never had. The same went for Ike. The second she saw his scowling, frowning, handsome face... something had clicked in her mind and she just knew that he was going to be something special in her life.

XxX

The drive to the hospital was less stressful than the day before, and for that Zelda was grateful. Even the nurse was nicer to her at the front desk as she passed by to go to the elevator. Once more with an army escort she made it to Ike's room, a smile on her face to see him stacking up playing cards into an intricate tower, under the studious watch of a man in a wheelchair. "There," Ike said proudly, nodding at the man, "suck on that."

"Cheater," the man huffed as he handed over a pudding cup and Zelda scoffed. Both men whirled to look at her with guilty faces, though Ike looked a bit smug.

"Are you betting with pudding cups?" she asked and Ike shrugged.

"Only thing edible they give you on the lunch tray," he said as he quickly disassembled his tower and handed the cards back to the other man. "Next time maybe." The man growled a few choice words about marines under his breath as he wheeled himself out of the room, Zelda shaking her head as Ike peeled back the lid on his prize.

"I see you're finding ways to entertain yourself huh?" He gave her a smug smirk as he tilted the cup and squeezed the thin plastic.

"This is the third pudding cup I've had today," he said as he licked his lips. "Good times winning them off of army guys."

"Be nice," she teased as she sat on his bed and he took her hand.

"I'm already nice to you, asking me to do more is too much." He set down the pudding cup and she watched him ease himself into a sitting position, his face twisting lightly as he did.

"Is your leg still hurting?" she asked carefully and he nodded.

"They're going to give me some injections for the pain before they discharge me," he said as he laced their fingers. "Apparently I'm going to feel as good as new but I'm supposed to take it easy." She nodded, determined to make him do just that, and he squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm not easy to get rid of Ike, I thought you'd know that by now," she teased and he huffed.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that you actually want to be here with me," he admitted and she smiled warmly at him.

"Well I think you will," she leaned in a pressed a kiss to his lips. He looked like he wanted more than that as she pulled back, but he refrained from trying to push it.

"You're supposed to explain to me this grandiose plan for after my surgery," he reminded and she nodded.

"Right yeah. Okay, so my parents are going to be overseas during my break and they own this cabin." He raised an eyebrow and she nodded. "So we're going to stay there while you're healing. It's two stories but everything you need is right there on the ground floor, the second floor is really just a big open loft for guests they never have. How's that sound?"

"They're really okay with me staying there alone with you?" Zelda bit her lips together and he huffed. "You didn't tell them I'd be there."

"They're not going to know, everything will be fine," she insisted and he shook his head.

"Babe I really don't like this plan," he sounded hesitant and she shook her head.

"It'll be fine." He stared at her for a minute before nodding.

"Alright," he nodded once. "We'll do it but I'm not exactly sure about the whole them not knowing bit."

"So you'll set up getting the surgery?"

"Yeah," he reached over and pressed the button to call the nurse.

"Yes?" the voice crackled over the intercom.

"Can you send my doctor up here when he gets a chance? I wanna set up having that surgery."

"Of course." With that Ike's eyes roamed over her, making Zelda blush.

"I can't wait to get out of here," he said as he subtly tugged on her arm. She moved closer to him and he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, claiming her lips. She kissed him back, nervous when his hands slid down and gripped her hips.

"Ike," she mumbled his name against his lips and he pulled back with a sigh. "We can try again after you get discharged okay?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes searching hers for a long moment.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she pressed a soft kiss to his lips and he gave her a small grin.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he warned and she shrugged.

"Go ahead."

XxX

After staying as long as possible with Ike, Zelda went back to his apartment to take care of Mew. Once more she fell asleep on his bed, and was roughly pulled from her sleep by her alarm. Zelda glared at the offending sound, trying to remember why she had set one so early. "Oh crap," she groaned as she got out of the bed, Mew immediately demanding attention. She fed the demanding kitten and pulled up her texts to Ike.

'How am I supposed to work without you?' she sent off, not expecting a response for a long time. She was surprised when her phone buzzed a moment later.

'Snake will have someone over there with you. He and I already talked about it.'

'Why are you up?'

'You know why.'

'I'm sorry Ike, if I could help I would.'

'It's okay, I'm not the only one here who's having trouble. I've currently got two army guys and even a navy guy sitting with me playing cards.' Zelda felt a small smile come to her lips at that. While it was awful that he wasn't sleeping, at least he wasn't alone in his hospital room.

'Have fun with the card game then, I'm going to go to work.'

XxX

Working without Ike was miserable. Zelda didn't quite realize how much he made it bearable until he wasn't there. She was stuck with Marth and someone else she didn't know, both of them moving slow and just generally getting in her way. She was about one more mistake from snapping Marth's unhelpful head off when Snake called break.

"Where's Ike?" Marth asked curiously as they moved to the break room.

"He's in the hospital," she answered and Marth gave a light gasp. "He's fine, but they're keeping him for some reason."

"Is it his leg?" Marth asked in a quiet voice and Zelda knew the line of questioning was dangerous.

"Partly. He fell at his other job and hit his head." Marth shook his head and Zelda shrugged. "I'm just glad he's okay and they'll probably release him soon."

"I hope so. No offense but I seriously hate stocking groceries." She offered him a light laugh as she pulled out her phone and texted Ike.

'Work is no fun without you.'

'Now you know how I feel.' That made her smile as she sat down with Marth and Samus, the duo immediately talking about some movie Zelda could care less about. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she checked it, a smile coming to her lips.

'I've got my injections, I feel fucking amazing. They're gonna discharge me this afternoon.'

'I'll be there.'

'I know.' That text alone made Zelda's day more than him saying he was getting out. That was him saying he trusted her, that he knew she'd be there. She smiled at the screen before locking it, feeling more at ease. He trusted her.

 **XXX**

 **Sorry if this update took a bit or if any of this doesn't quite flow right. I'm super sick with a high fever and trying to take advantage of the free time by writing. Anyway, thank you everyone for reviewing last chapter! It means the world to me. Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


End file.
